March 4 (offshoreWIND.biz) The 220 MW Kitakyushu Hibikinada, Japan’s largest offshore wind farm, commenced commercial operation on 2 March. Located in the Hibikinada Sea, off the coast of Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture, the offshore wind farm comprises 25 Vestas V174-9.6 MW turbines, the last of which was installed in autumn 2025. The project was built... Continue Reading →
Japan’s First Commercial Floating Wind Farm Enters Operation
Jan. 5 (offshoreWIND.biz) The Goto floating wind farm, Japan’s first commercial floating offshore wind farm, entered full operation on 5 January 2026, according to the consortium behind the project consisting of Toda Corporation, ENEOS Renewable Energy Corporation, Osaka Gas, INPEX Corporation, Kansai Electric Power Co. (KEPCO), and Chubu Electric Power. The 16.8 MW wind farm... Continue Reading →
Shell’s Brazil Gato do Mato FPSO Starts Taking Shape
Oct. 6 - MODEC has held a first steel-cutting ceremony for the Gato do Mato floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) unit, which will be deployed at Shell’s field offshore Brazil. The ceremony was held at the COSCO Qidong Shipyard, marking the start of construction of the the aft block of next-generation hull for the... Continue Reading →
Japan Selects Two New Sites for Offshore Wind Development
Oct. 3 (offshoreWIND.biz) Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) have identified two sites off Akita City and Hibikinada Sea as promising offshore wind areas, while three sites off Chiba, Nagasaki, and Kagoshima have been marked as preparation areas. The newly designated promising areas... Continue Reading →
FLOWRA, EMEC to Develop Floating Offshore Wind Test and Demo Site
Sept. 17 (offshoreWIND.biz) Japan’s Floating Offshore Wind Power Technology Research Association (FLOWRA) and the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore technology development cooperation in the field of floating offshore wind. Under the agreement, FLOWRA and EMEC will explore the possibilities of establishing and managing an offshore test and... Continue Reading →
Ocergy’s Floating Platform Selected for Japan’s Offshore Wind Observation Project
Sept. 10 (offshoreWIND.biz) US-based Ocergy has been selected by Kyuden Mirai Energy Corporation as the floater provider for an offshore wind observation project being implemented under Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) programme. The floating wind project is being developed by Kyuden Mirai Energy, Kobe University, Rera Tech, and Cosmo Eco Power. Ocergy’s... Continue Reading →
Floating Offshore Wind Test Center Planned for Japan
Sept. 10 (Reuters) Japan aims to start planning a national floating wind test centre next year, a senior industry official said, vowing to pursue a path of wind power growth despite a recent setback when Mitsubishi quit three projects. Mitsubishi-led consortia dropped plans last month to build 1.8 gigawatt (GW) in three offshore windmills won... Continue Reading →
ABS Approves MODEC’s Offshore LCO2 Storage and Injection Unit
Sept. 9 (OE) ABS has granted approval in principle to a liquefied carbon dioxide (LCO2) floating storage and injection unit (FSIU) designed by MODEC in collaboration with Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL). Tailored to the growing demands of the global carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) value chain, the design eliminates the need for onshore facilities,... Continue Reading →
MODEC’s New Floating Wind Platform Design Gets ABS Approval in Principle
Sept. 5 (offshoreWIND.biz) Japanese floating wind technology developer MODEC has received Approval in Principle (AiP) from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) for its iTLP2-FOWT concept, a new generation of the company’s tension leg platform (TLP) type floating offshore wind foundation. In 2020, MODEC obtained AiP for the first iteration of its TLP floating wind... Continue Reading →
Japan proposes 10-year extension for offshore wind farm leases to ease cost pressures
Aug 26 (Reuters) - Japan's industry and land ministries on Tuesday proposed revising guidelines to extend offshore wind project leases by 10 years, from the current 30 years, to help developers manage soaring construction costs and complete projects. The proposal was submitted to a joint expert panel of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry... Continue Reading →