Consortium selected for Japanese offshore wind farm
Hitachi Zosen led consortium has been awarded the bid to develop the 22 MW Iwafune Offshore Wind Farm project in Murakami City, Japan.
The preferred bidder is composed by the following companies:
- Hitachi Zosen Corporation (foundation and overall design)
- Venti-Japan Inc. (business development and operations)
- Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. (transmission cables, substations and other installations)
- Hitachi Capital Corporation (financing and operations)
- Hitachi, Ltd (wind turbine performance and installation)
- Mitsubishi Corporation (business development and operations)
- The Daishi Bank, Ltd. (financing)
- TOA CORPORATION (construction)
- HONMA Corporation (construction)
- The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd. (financing)
The award is the result of a public bidding held by Murakami City’s project promotion committee, chaired by the city’s mayor, Hiramasa Otaki.
The project promotion committee was therefore set up in November 2014 to oversee smooth implementation. A feasibility study now underway targets 2,700 hectares of sea, with 10 to 35 meters of water depth, in the Iwafune offshore area, some 2 kilometers off the coast of Murakami City.
The consortium has begun technical and commercial planning for 44 bottom-mounted offshore wind turbines, each with a capacity of 5,000 kW for a total of approximately 22 MW. Based on the results of the feasibility study, a Special Purpose Company (SPC) will be established in FY2015, with manufacturing of equipment scheduled to start in FY2020. Operations are set to start in FY2024.
Murakami City consider the Iwafune Offshore Wind Farm project as having the potential to help to stimulate the local economy, including enhancing of its tourism product, while at the same time contribute to mitigating the effects of global warming.
