The Japanese government said on Friday it had designated two sites off the coast of Akita and Fukuoka prefectures as "promising zones" for developing offshore wind farms.
Japan wants to accelerate renewable energy development to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, though confidence in offshore wind has been shaken by the recent withdrawalfrom the first major auction of a consortium led by Mitsubishi Corp 8058.T.
The newly designated zones are off Akita city in northern Japan and Hibikinada in Fukuoka in the south.
They were upgraded from "preparatory zones" based on the findings of a third-party committee of experts. A "promising zone" must be further upgraded to a "promotion zone" under local law to qualify for auction.
The industry and land ministries also selected three areas as new preparatory zones: off Asahi city in Chiba in the east, and off the southern island of Goto in Nagasaki (floating structure) and Ichikikushikino city in Kagoshima in the south.
In addition, three sites - off Akita, Asahi, and Hibikinada - were chosen for surveys under the "centralised approach," where the government and local authorities join forces to conduct surveys and other activities to speed up development.
Offshore wind is central to Japan's renewable push, but the withdrawal of the Mitsubishi-led consortium due to soaring costs forced the government to review the scheme and consider extra support for operators.
(Reuters - Reporting by Yuka Obayashi; Editing by Kate Mayberry)