Japan selects winner of its first fixed foundation offshore wind auction

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism announced the result of Japan’s first tender for fixed foundation offshore wind farms on December 24, 2021. Consortia led by Mitsubishi Corp. secured the 819-MW Yurihonjo wind farm and the 478.8-MW Noshiro-Mitane-Oga wind farm in Akita Prefecture, and the 390.6-MW wind farm off the coast of Choshi City, Chiba Prefecture.

The three wind farms will use 134 GE Haliade-X 12.6MW turbines, accumulating 1.7 GW of total capacity. Commercial operation is expected between 2028 and 2030.
 

Japan’s “Guideline for the Utilization of General Common Sea Area for Developing Renewable Energy” mandates that winning prices of the three wind farms shall not exceed JPY 29,000/MWh (TWD 6,982/MWh). However, the tender result shows the figure coming in 43.1%-58.7% lower than expectation, with Yurihojo wind farm’s JPY 11,990/MWh (TWD 2,896/MWh) being the lowest winning price. Whereas wind farms in Taiwan saw winning prices ranging from TWD 2,224.5 to TWS 2,548.1/MWh (TWD 2,24.5/MWh for Hailong 2 and TWD 2,224.5/MWh for Hailong 3).
 

Japan recently issued the tender for Noshiro wind farm in Happo, Akita Prefecture, the country’s third tender for offshore wind energy, which is expected to have 356 MW of capacity. The tender will be opened from December 10, 2021, to June 10, 2022, with outcome made known in December 2022.


Reference:
衝撃の「11.99円」、洋上風力3海域で、三菱商事系が落札
BREAKING: Mitsubishi Only Winner in Japanese Offshore Wind Auction, GE Turbines for All Sites