Danish utility Orsted and Japan’s largest power company, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), have signed a memorandum of understanding to work jointly on offshore wind projects on a large scale, starting with the Choshi project near Tokyo.

TEPCO has already been carrying out a seabed survey to examine the feasibility of an array at Choshi, but neither of the utilities has said what size they envisage for the project. TEPCO earlier this month did not confirm Japanese media reports that it was planning to invest 1 trillion Japanese Yen ($ 9.2bn) to build a 1GW array at the site, when asked by Recharge.

"We are confident that the partnership combining TEPCO's extensive expertise in the Japanese power business and Orsted’s unparalleled track record in the offshore wind business will lead to success in the Choshi project,” said TEPCO president Tomoaki Kobayakawa.

“We hope that this first step paves the way for expansion beyond the coastlines of Japan for the development, construction, operation and ownership of offshore wind projects."

The company – which was responsible for the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011 – now is targeting development of 6-7GW in renewable energy projects in Japan and overseas.

Japan’s government in it fifth basic energy supply plan from July 2018 targets 10GW of onshore and offshore wind capacity by 2030 as part of its ambition to reach a 22-24% renewables share in its electricity mix.

With more than 70% of its terrain mountainous, and three quarters of its 127 million population living in urban coastal areas, offshore wind is an ideal power source for Japan, Orsted remarks.

“Our vision is to create a world that runs entirely on green energy, and we look forward to expanding our presence in the Asia-Pacific region and bringing over two decades of offshore wind knowledge into this partnership for the Choshi project,” Orsted chief executive Henrik Poulsen said.

"TEPCO has deep insights into the local power market and the regulatory requirements. This MoU is the first step in Orsted and TEPCO's aspirations to deliver on Japan's ambitions for domestic renewable power generation at a large scale and contribute to making Japan a leading offshore wind market in the Asia-Pacific."

TEPCO since 2013 has a 2.4MW test turbine running at the site off Choshi, which it has shifted to operate commercially on Jan. 1, 2019.

The utility’s offshore wind move comes on the heels of the passage of a new marine usage law in Japan that will support offshore wind development by allowing up to 30 years offshore area occupancy for these projects, instead of 3-5 years under current prefectural rules.

Wind

Orsted & TEPCO sign MoU for ‘large-scale’ Japan offshore wind