7-8GW of bottom-fixed offshore wind can be built in Japan by 2030: Ørsted

The site of the firm’s project with TEPCO is a bottom-fixed area.

About 7-8GW of bottom-fixed offshore wind can be built in Japan by 2030 without the need to immediately opt for floating technology, Ørsted general manager for Asia Pacific Matthias Bausenwein told Recharge News.

In an interview with the publication, Bausenwein said that whilst the Japanese Wind Power Association puts the possible volume for bottom-fixed offshore at somewhat over 10GW, the figure to be achieved depends on how the “market picks up.”

This week, the company announced a collaboration with Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) for a Choshi offshore wind project near Tokyo. TEPCO has been working on a seabed survey that will last up until the end of January 2019 to assess the feasibility of the project.

The site in Choshi is “clearly a bottom-fixed area,” Bausenwein said. “We are investigating a bit more there, but it [the water depth] is definitely under 50 metres.”

Ørsted and TEPCO are some of the many energy firms trying their hand in offshore wind projects, which have enjoyed swathes of investment internationally. Offshore wind was a major recipient of renewables investment last year, attracting $25.7b, up 14% on the previous year, a BloombergNEF report revealed.