Vestas poised to build offshore wind factory in Japan

Vestas is considering building an offshore wind manufacturing and assembly facility in Japan after being selected in a government subsidy programme.

It plans to develop the factory subject to being selected by developers successful in ongoing offshore wind auctions in Japan.

The Danish OEM would produce nacelles for offshore wind turbines at the factory and leverage advanced manufacturing technology in Japan, it added.

It has not decided on a location for the factory or confirmed how much it is set to receive from the government. Windpower Monthly has approached Vestas for comment on whether it plans to also build other offshore wind turbine components, including blades and towers, in Japan.

Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) recently awarded JPY 209.5 billion ($1.9 billion) to strengthen the country’s supply chain networks by supporting essential products and materials, and minimise risk of supply chain disruption due to Covid-19.

It selected 151 companies in the programme, including Vestas, which was one of seven successful companies that are involved in the offshore wind sector.

In April of this year Vestas held its first Japan suppliers day event to try to boost the country’s supply chain ahead of a build-out of offshore wind.

Japan aims to install between 30GW and 45GW of offshore wind by 2040 as the country aims to reach carbon neutrality by 2050.

In June, it selected a consortium led by Toda Corporation to build a 16.8MW floating project off Goto City, Nagasaki in south-western Japan.

Japan is also holding two further offshore wind auctions in Akita, in the north-east of Japan’s main island of Honshu, and one in Chiba, near Tokyo. Results are due later in the year, according to the Japanese Wind Power Association (JWPA).