Aker Offshore, Mainstream near 800-MW floating wind project off Japan

A tie-up of Norway’s Aker Offshore Wind AS and Irish clean energy company Mainstream Renewable Power has been picked as the preferred bidder to buy an initial 50% stake in an 800-MW floating offshore wind project in Japanese waters.

The two companies will now enter exclusive talks with Progression Energy, which owns the scheme, Aker Offshore said on Thursday. The negotiations will look into setting up a special purpose vehicle (SPV) through which the three partners will jointly develop the project in the coming weeks.

Aker Offshore will contribute its experience in the field of offshore and floating projects, while Mainstream will offer its capabilities in offshore wind development. According to them, Progression Energy’s project is “a well-formed early-stage development asset.”

“We are excited to bring Aker Offshore Wind and Mainstream Renewable Power on board and believe the two companies, working in partnership, bring a unique set of strengths that will be vital in helping us advance our project to FID,” said Progression Energy’s CEO Chris Swartley.

Japan aims to have 10 GW of offshore wind capacity in operation by 2030 and 30 GW-45 GW by 2040. In line with this plan, the government is set to open tenders for floating offshore wind projects.

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