Japan expands fledgling offshore wind sector

RWE, Mitsui and Osaka Gas have awarded Fugro the contract to use its geo-data technology to carry out the site characterisation, with Fugro jack-up platform Amberjack already deployed alongside the vessels The Equator and The Mariner.

The Osaka Gas wind farm, off the west coast of Murukami and Tainai in the Niigate Prefecture, has been planned to have 38 fixed-bottom wind turbines installed with a total generation capacity of 684MW.

Part owner RWE has 19 operational offshore wind farms in the west, with a plan to grow its generating capacity across the world from today’s 3.3GW to 10GW by 2030.

“Offshore wind is increasingly gaining momentum in Japan and I am deeply honoured that we, together with our Japanese partners, have been selected to deliver this project as a trusted partner to the Japanese government,” said CEO Markus Krebber. “This marks RWE’s first success in an offshore wind tender in Japan and the wider APAC region.”