Japan to Develop Offshore Wind Farms at 30 Sites in 10 years

Japan will craft new rules and support infrastructure in a drive that aims to build offshore wind farms at 30 sites during the next decade, the Nikkei business daily said on Thursday.

Industry Minister Hiroshi Kajiyama is expected to announce policy measures soon to target the goal, the paper said, without identifying sources.

The new policy aims for three or four projects each year with total generation capacity of 1 gigawatt (GW), from the financial year starting in April 2021 until fiscal 2030/2031, for an accumulated total of 10 GW.

To speed the expansion, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) plans to build storage facilities nationwide for the parts required for construction, as well as reinforce some ports.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) plans to revise power grid rules to scrap restrictions on greener power suppliers, the paper added.

Japan now allows large traditional utilities that control its transmission grids, to limit renewable energy supplies, such as those from solar and wind farms, if necessary, to ensure grid stability, a measure that limits renewable energy expansion.

A METI official handling renewable energy declined to comment on the report. A MLIT official said the ministry had already started work on some ports to benefit offshore wind farms, but declined comment on the rest of the report.

Each plant usually takes five to 10 years to build.

Japan's offshore wind power market is set to grow after a law, the Offshore Wind Promotion Act, enforced last year to assist development

(Reporting by Yuka Obayashi; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)