The Japanese Government has selected three consortia led by JERA, Sumitomo and RWE in the country's latest offshore wind auction.

JERA and its partners Electric Power Development, Tohoku Electric Power and Itochu have been awarded a site offshore the cities of Oga, Katagami and Akita in the Akita prefecture.

The partners intend to build an offshore wind facility with 315MW of capacity, which will come online in June 2028.

The Sumitomo-led consortium, which includes TEPCO Renewable Power, has also secured an offshore wind development site offshore Enoshima Island and the city of Saikai in the Nagasaki prefecture.

The consortium will build a 420MW project, expected to be operational by August 2029.

Sumitomo intends to engage Sumitomo Metal Mining and Sumco as the offtakers for the green electricity generated by the project.

The RWE-led consortium has been selected by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry as the third developer of an offshore wind farm in the Niigata prefecture.

The consortium, which includes RWE, Mitsui & Co and Osaka Gas, plans to build an offshore wind facility with 684MW of capacity.

RWE CEO Markus Krebber stated: “This marks RWE’s first success in an offshore wind tender in Japan and the wider APAC [Asia-Pacific] region. This success reflects the collective strength, expertise and commitment of RWE and our consortium partners.

“With Mitsui and Osaka Gas, we have partners by our side whose local expertise perfectly complements our global experience and technical know-how as one of the world’s leading offshore wind companies.

“Together we are very well placed to supply green electricity from offshore wind to the greater benefit of the Japanese society. We are looking forward to a fruitful collaboration with all our stakeholders.”

Japan has put a fourth site out to tender in this round. The site is offshore the town of Happo and the city of Noshiro in the Akita prefecture. The winning bid will be announced in March 2024.