The joint venture is set to supply equipment for three offshore wind projects, including what will be Japan’s largest wind farm.
A joint venture partnership between Van Oord and Kajima Corporation has been selected as the preferred balance of plant contractors for 1.7GW of offshore wind projects in Japan. The capacity is split across three projects awarded to consortiums led by Mistsuibishi Corporation Energy Solutions in Japan’s first large-scale offshore wind tender in December 2021.
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The three offshore wind farms are the 390.6MW Choshi City project in Chiba prefecture, the 478.8MW Noshiro Mitsubishi off the coast of Noshiro, Mitane and Oga in Akita, and 819MW off Yurihonjo in Akita. Yurihonjo will be the largest wind farm in Japan. All three projects are due to use GE’s Haliade-X turbines on fixed-bottom foundations.
Execution of this portfolio of projects is expected to start in the second half of this decade, Van Oord said. Two projects are expected to become operational in 2028 – the first, at Choshi, is due in September 2028, while the 479MW project off Norshiro is scheduled for December 2028. The final and biggest of the three wind farms, off Yurkohonjo, is expected to be operational in December 2030.
Kajima and Van Oord have been supporting the three consortiums in developing the projects and will continue to do so, Van Oord said in a statement. The contract is the first of its size for Van Oord in Japan. “These three balance of plant projects [providing all supporting components and auxiliary systems other than the wind turbines] will further strengthen Van Oord’s long-term presence in the growing offshore wind market in Asia,” it said.
The tender for the 1.7GW in Japan followed an auction for a 16.8MW floating offshore wind site held by Japan’s government last year. Another offshore wind tender, for 356MW in the Happo-Nashorio zone off Akita, is underway, with a June 2022 deadline for potential bidders. The winner is due to be announced by December 2022.
Source: windpowermonthly.com