Japan-based Shimizu Corporation has signed an offshore wind partnership agreement with the Dutch offshore installation giant Heerema Marine Contractors.
The cooperation, targeting the Japanese offshore wind market, is primarily focused on installing turbine foundations, where Heerema will support Shimizu with engineering and offshore construction expertise.
Jeroen van Oosten, Business Unit Director Wind for Heerema Marine Contractors, says: “We look forward to supporting Shimizu on its journey in the Japanese offshore wind market. We are happy and honored to be working with a general contractor with a strong ambition to support the growth of offshore wind in Japan.”
Japan aims to expand offshore wind energy capacity to 10GW by 2030 and 30-45 GW by 2040, according to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).
Shimizu has been involved in the first offshore wind pilot projects in Japan and has the ambition to play a major role in the Japanese energy transition.
The company, which in July also entered a cooperation agreement with Fred. Olsen Ocean, is currently building one of the largest jack-up installation vessels with a 2500t crane for offshore wind construction. The vessel will be delivered in late 2022.
Over 100 new offshore wind turbine and foundation installation and maintenance vessels will be required for offshore projects planned over the next decade, as the number of proposed projects grows, but also as the turbines and foundations get larger, meaning the currently available fleet won't be able to install them. What is more, most of the current fleet could become obsolete by 2025. This is according to a new study by World Energy Reports. Read more here.