According to local media sources, Japanese technology giant Toshiba and US corporation General Electric want to expand Japan’s supply chain for domestic offshore wind turbine production.
The two firms first collaborated in 2021 to supply the Japanese offshore wind sector. They are now collaborating to establish a network of 100 local suppliers for nacelle components, with the goal of beginning procurement in 2025, according to the financial publication Nikkei on July 16. Toshiba stated that local manufacture will begin in 2026.
According to the Nikkei, the company intends to hold information sessions for potential suppliers in places suited for offshore wind, such as the Akita prefecture in Japan’s northwestern region. Toshiba is said to be intending to create storage facilities for spare parts and a network of workers to provide operations and maintenance services, in addition to assisting new suppliers with quality control.
Japan is presently aiming for 10GW of offshore wind by 2030 and up to 45GW by 2040 in order to decarbonize an energy system that is still substantially reliant on oil, gas, and coal imports.
Last month, Japan finished taking bids for its second offshore wind tender. This tender is for 1.8GW of capacity spread across four sites, including a 700MW project in the Sea of Japan off the shore of Niigata prefecture on Japan’s west coast, south of Akita.
