Shipowner Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) has formed a new partnership to develop offshore floating wind farms in Japan.
The company is teaming up with UK operator Flotation Energy to evaluate opportunities for the new green technology.
The agreement builds on the 2GW portfolio of offshore floating wind projects in Japan already being worked on by Flotation Energy.
These will begin off Niigata and will later be followed by farms in other areas.
MOL will jointly develop the local supply chain, the owner said.
Hirofumi Kuwata, MOL's managing executive officer for energy and offshore, added that the UK and Japan have a similar background.
"Both are island countries [with] limited energy resources, and the UK is ahead of Japan on offshore wind farm development," the executive added.
Kuwata said Flotation Energy has vast experience in the sector.
"MOL believes that this collaboration would accelerate the floating offshore wind farm development in Japan market," he added.
Shipping knowledge vital
"MOL has a rich knowledge and experience in building, owning, operating and managing ships and offshore floating structures. Those will be a great help for development of offshore wind farms in Japan and Asian region," Kuwata said.
The partnership aims to develop and deliver projects to support the Japanese government's 45GW offshore wind target by 2040, part of its goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
"The partnership with MOL is a very significant step for Flotation Energy as it builds its presence in Japan," said Tim Sawyer, director of international operations for the UK group.
"We bring an innovative approach with fresh eyes in implementing offshore wind projects and look forward to working with MOL to deliver floating offshore wind in Japan," he added.
A pipeline of projects
Edinburgh-headquartered Flotation Energy is led by chief executive and co-founder Lord Nicol Stephen.
The company has delivered 3GW of offshore wind in the UK, including the world's largest floating offshore wind farm, the Kincardine Offshore Wind project in Scotland.
Flotation Energy is also developing a 17GW pipeline of projects around the world, including Japan, Taiwan, Australia, Ireland and the UK.
Earlier this year, MOL teamed up with a small domestic player to boost the companies' renewables cable-laying prospects.
The memorandum of understanding with Kokusai Cable Ship (KCS) will allow the partners to target offshore wind work.
The companies have identified increasing demand for installation of power cables that are a key element of supply chains in the globally expanding wind sector.
KCS has two cable-laying ships and was established in 1966.
