AsiaElec: Japan pushing forward with offshore wind projects

Japan has been quietly pushing forward a range of offshore wind projects, including fixed base, floating wind and powered facilities.

Aimed at helping the nation achieve its much publicised goals of 30 GW of offshore wind by the end of the decade, several offshore initiatives have recently been announced.

The announcement comes as much of the energy focus in recent months across Japan has been focused on oil imports from Russia.

The first project of note is in an area known as Aomori South, Aomori being the northernmost area on Japan’s main island of Honshu with the Sea of Japan (Nihon-kai (sea)) to the west, and the Pacific Ocean to the east.

Just prior to the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) when industry across Japan was closed down for extended periods, the national government in Tokyo highlighted three areas off the coast of Aomori as possible development sites.

Two are located on the western coast; the Nihon Sea (north) and Nihon Sea (south) sites, with the third in the large enclosed Mutsu Bay directly north of Aomori City.