UK utility SSE Renewables is looking to develop 6GW of floating and fixed offshore wind capacity in Japan.
Scottish-headquartered SSE planted its flag in the Japanese offshore wind sector in 2021 when it forged an alliance with local developer Pacifico Energy to form SSE Pacifico.
Japan has been slow off the mark when it comes to offshore wind, with minimal capacity in the water, however it has emerged as a magnet for developers thanks to ambitious government targets.
It implemented a law in 2019 to help develop the sector and aims to have 10GW in the water by 2030 and 30 to 45GW by 2040.
Japan recently opened its third offshore wind auction with sites totalling over 1GW of capacity up for offer.
Dai Karasawa, president of SSE Pacifico, in which SSE holds an 80% stake, told Reuters in an article published on Monday that “our official target is to deliver our projects in a pipeline of 6GW.”
The plan is to deliver one project per year in state auctions “from the later half of this decade.”
German utility RWE recently made its debut in Japan by securing a 684MW project to be located off the country’s west coast, facing the cities of Murakami and Tainai. That will use 18MW turbines from GE.
