300 MW Offshore Wind Project by Tokyo Gas in Offing; Eyes 6 GW Goal

Tokyo Gas, the gas distributor of Japan, has said that it has started the construction of two floating offshore windmills in Japan. The new facility is being built off the coast of Fukushima prefecture in the northeast.

According to the disclosure, the capacity of the wind power project will be 300 MW. The announcement of the commencement of the wind project was made by Tokyo Gas and its partner Shinobuyama Fukushima Power which is a utility firm.

No further details of the project were disclosed by Tokyo Gas whether it is related with the actual costs of the projects or the date of commercial operations.

Tokyo Gas has the objective of achieving a renewable energy output target of having 6 GW by the end of this decade. In 2020, the Japanese conglomerate acquired a stake in Chiba Offshore Wind that allows it to participate in offshore wind energy projects.

Tokyo Gas wants to step up its renewable energy production figure in excess of 6 GW by 2030 because it wants to eliminate about 17 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. Tokyo Gas has revised it from the original target of 5 GW of renewable energy output that could have saved about 10 million tonnes of CO2 going into the atmosphere in 2019.

Tokyo Gas also has disclosed plans to invest more than $17billion in energy transition avenues.

Japan wants to install upto 10 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030. By 2040, it aims at quadrupling this capacity to 45 GW. As of today, the share of renewables in Japan as a source of electricity stands at just 25%.

Even though Japan is the fifth largest CO2 emitter on the planet, the country has barely made a move on the wind energy front. This is despite the fact that the wind resource is one the most abundant in Japan. It recently put to motion its first large-scale offshore wind project – Noshiro and Akita – that together form 140 MW.