BY JAPAN NRG TEAM
After more than two years without a new round, Japan is preparing to restart its offshore wind tender program. In June, METI and MLIT finalized revised auction rules for three Round 1 areas abandoned by Mitsubishi Corp, as well as for future tenders, thereby clearing a major procedural hurdle.
The reset goes beyond auction scoring. The government has made Round 2 and 3 projects eligible to seek long-term capacity revenue through the Long-Term Decarbonization Power Sources Auction (LTDA), while also trying to improve the technical information available before bids are submitted.
Since April 1, the Environment Ministry (MoE) has had a new statutory role in surveying the marine environment around prospective offshore wind areas. It joins METI, MLIT, JOGMEC and local governments in a widening public framework designed to give bidders a common baseline, reduce repeated investigations and make projects easier to design and price.
A government review of why Round 1 projects were abandoned found that pre-bid ground data covered only one or two points in each promotion zone. Further surveys after the developer selection revealed complex seabed topography and geological strata that required changes to foundation designs. The projects failed for several reasons – including inflation, yen weakness, higher interest rates and supply-chain constraints – but limited technical information clearly enhanced those risks.
Japan NRG examines how the technical survey framework has developed since then, how responsibilities are currently divided, where its limits lie and when the system will face its first meaningful test.