Marubeni to set up floating wind power plant off Japan coast

Marubeni to set up floating wind power plant off Japan coast

By Greentech Lead Team: Marubeni, the Japanese trading
major, is planning to set up a floating wind power plant off the
Japanese coast. Other companies in this project include Mitsubishi Heavy
Industries, Nippon Steel Corp and Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding.

The wind energy project will be supported by the Japanese
government via the reconstruction budget which was created after last year’s
tsunami.

Marubeni, as a global independent power producer, owns
total 29,572MW (Gross) power plants in 23 countries as of September 2011 with
500MW wind power plants in Japan, Korea, Australia, Canada and U.K. included.

Marubeni considers north America, Europe and Australia to be core markets for
wind power projects, where various political supports to promote renewable
energy are in place.

In September, Japan’s trade ministry said it was planning
a ¥10-20 billion ($130-260 million) project to develop a floating wind turbine
in the deep waters off the northern coast.

Marubeni acquired a 49 per cent stake in Gunfleet Sands from Dong Energy. It
marks Marubeni’s first stake in an offshore wind power project.

Japan hopes to develop a 1GW floating offshore wind power off its northern
coast by 2020. The announcement follows the passing of a renewable-energy bill
in the upper house of Japan’s parliament.

In 2011, Marubeni Corporation said that it plans to
treble its green energy investment in the U.K. to more than 600 million pounds
over the next few years.

Marubeni has purchased 50 percent stake worth 200 million
pounds in a wind farm off the Essex coast from Dong Energy, one of the biggest
wind farm operators in Britain. Dong Energy has a third share in the London
Array, which will be Britain’s largest wind farm.

The U.K. Government has set hugely ambitious wind farm
generation targets with generous subsidies.


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