Renewable energy consultancy OWC has been chosen to carry out design work on a 15MW Japanese floating wind pilot.
The company will provide preliminary front-end engineering design (pre-FEED) services for a semi-submersible floating wind turbine for Kanadevia Corporation.
The demonstration project will take place off the coast of the Aichi prefecture and is set to run until March 2031.
The pre-FEED falls under the Green Innovation Fund Phase 2, supported by the Japanese government.
OWC has supported Kanadevia since the initial stages of the project, having successfully collaborated during the Green Innovation Fund Phase 1, which involved basic design services for several times.
The collaboration has now extended into Phase 2, where OWC will provide the essential pre-FEED for the first design iteration of the floater.
OWC’s role will focus on the first of several planned design iterations, with opportunities for the company to continue its support as the project progresses through its demonstration phases.
“This is an important floating offshore wind project for Japan. It represents a pivotal step in developing Japan’s floating offshore wind industry and reinforces our commitment to helping our clients succeed in achieving their renewable energy goals,” said OWC’s floating wind team leader in Japan Masataka Nakagawa.
“With the complexity of the floater’s design and the scale of the project, we are proud to contribute to such innovative and forward-thinking work.”
The Green Innovation Fund Project, spearheaded by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), is a key component of Japan’s strategy to reduce the high cost of offshore wind power, with floating offshore wind technology playing a central role.
By combining the expertise of multiple industry leaders, the consortium, including C-Tech, Kanadevia, Kajima Corporation, Hokutaku and Mitsui OSK, aims to develop the necessary technologies to make floating wind energy commercially viable by 2030.