Experimental offshore floating wind farm project

The first stage of the project, which consists of three floating wind turbines and a floating power substation, will start in the course of this year with the installation of one 2 MW floating wind turbine, a floating power substation and subsea cable off the coast of Fukushima. In the second stage of the project, two 7 MW wind turbines will be added between 2013 and 2015.
A consortium made up of Marubeni (project integrator), the University of Tokyo, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, IHI Marine United, Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding, Nippon Steel, Hitachi, Furukawa Electric, Shimizu and Mizuho Information & Research is participating in the project.
The Fukushima Prefecture expects this experimental project to spawn a new industry in renewable energy and create employment as part of recovery efforts in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake. Through this experimental project, the Prefecture hopes to develop a large wind farm industry. It is understood that one of the most important themes of this experimental project is the coexistence of the fishery industry with the offshore wind farm industry. To ensure this the consortium will work hard to maintain good relations with the local fishery industry through strong communication while at the same time pursuing the commercialization of this offshore wind farm project.