Equinor partners with Japanese firms to bid for offshore wind projects in Akita prefecture

Equinor and Japanese firms JERA and Electric Power Development Company (J-Power) have entered into an agreement wherein they will evaluate and work towards submitting a joint bid in the first round of what would be Japan’s official first offshore wind auction.

The Japanese government has dedicated Yurihonjo and Noshiro, two areas offshore the northern Japanese prefecture of Akita, as promotional zones for offshore wind, each representing an area for bottom-fixed offshore wind farms of approximately 400MW and 700MW capacity, respectively.

The upcoming auction is anticipated to start within the next months, with bid submission taking place six months after the auction opens. Once the auction is closed, the results are expected to be announced towards the end of 2021.

The potential wind farms would then tentatively be operative after 2025.