{"id":691290,"date":"2025-09-22T03:30:47","date_gmt":"2025-09-22T00:30:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/floating-wind-power-sets-sail-in-japans-energy-shift\/"},"modified":"2025-09-22T03:30:47","modified_gmt":"2025-09-22T00:30:47","slug":"floating-wind-power-sets-sail-in-japans-energy-shift","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/floating-wind-power-sets-sail-in-japans-energy-shift\/","title":{"rendered":"Floating wind power sets sail in Japan&#8217;s energy shift"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a35fff81bf62\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a35fff81bf62\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/floating-wind-power-sets-sail-in-japans-energy-shift\/#Herculean_task\" >Herculean task<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/floating-wind-power-sets-sail-in-japans-energy-shift\/#Fishers_livelihoods\" >Fishers&#8217; livelihoods<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/floating-turbines-are.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2025\/floating-turbines-are.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Floating turbines are particularly well suited to Japan as its deep coastal waters make fixing them to seabeds tricky.\">\n<figure class=\"article-img\">\n            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2025\/floating-turbines-are.jpg\" alt=\"Floating turbines are particularly well suited to Japan as its deep coastal waters make fixing them to seabeds tricky\" title=\"Floating turbines are particularly well suited to Japan as its deep coastal waters make fixing them to seabeds tricky.\" width=\"800\" height=\"530\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-darken text-low-up text-truncate-js text-truncate mt-3\">\n                Floating turbines are particularly well suited to Japan as its deep coastal waters make fixing them to seabeds tricky.<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Close to a small fishing port in southwestern Japan, the slim white turbines of the country&#8217;s first commercial-scale floating wind farm glimmer offshore, months before a key project in Tokyo&#8217;s green-energy strategy begins.<\/p>\n<p>Still heavily reliant on imported fossil fuels, Japan has declared offshore wind energy a &#8220;trump card&#8221; in its drive to make renewables its top power source by 2040, and reach carbon neutrality a decade later.<\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s despite rising project costs and fears over inadequate infrastructure to produce turbines en masse.<\/p>\n<p>Floating turbines are particularly well suited to Japan as its deep coastal waters make fixing them to seabeds tricky, while the country is also prone to natural disasters.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Floating structures are relatively stable even in the case of earthquakes or typhoons,&#8221; said Kei Ushigami, head of marine renewable energy for construction company Toda, a key player in the project.<\/p>\n<p>The eight turbines\u2014sitting five kilometers (three miles) off the coast of the Goto Islands in waters up to 140 meters deep\u2014will officially start turning in January.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s hoped they&#8217;ll aid the archipelago in reaching ambitious new targets laid out this year that should see wind&#8217;s contribution to the energy mix soar to between 4% and 8% by 2040\u2014up from around 1% today.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/fishermen-receive-part.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2025\/fishermen-receive-part.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Fishermen receive part of the revenue from electricity sales and some of the property taxes generated by the project.\">\n<figure class=\"article-img text-center\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2025\/fishermen-receive-part.jpg\" alt=\"Fishermen receive part of the revenue from electricity sales and some of the property taxes generated by the project\" title=\"Fishermen receive part of the revenue from electricity sales and some of the property taxes generated by the project.\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-left text-darken text-truncate text-low-up mt-3\">\n                Fishermen receive part of the revenue from electricity sales and some of the property taxes generated by the project.<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>But it&#8217;s a long, hard road ahead for resource-scarce Japan\u2014the world&#8217;s fifth-largest carbon dioxide emitter\u2014to wean itself off fossil fuels.<\/p>\n<p>In 2024, 65% of its electricity needs were met by coal and hydrocarbon-powered thermal plants, while just over a quarter came from renewables, according to Japan&#8217;s Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies.<\/p>\n<p>                                                                                                        <!-- TechX - News - In-article --><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Herculean_task\"><\/span>Herculean task<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Costs are also rising sharply, and at the end of August Japanese conglomerate Mitsubishi pulled out of three key wind power projects deemed no longer profitable.<\/p>\n<p>Other project operators have asked for better support from the government.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It is important for the government to address shortcomings in the current bidding system, which failed to anticipate rapid global inflation after bids were awarded,&#8221; said Yoko Mulholland from the think tank E3G.<\/p>\n<p>The streamlining of regulatory processes and easing construction restrictions would &#8220;shorten lead times and also lower capital expenditure&#8221;, she told AFP.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/coexistence-with-local.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2025\/coexistence-with-local.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Coexistence with local industries, especially fishing, is also crucial.\">\n<figure class=\"article-img text-center\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2025\/coexistence-with-local.jpg\" alt=\"Coexistence with local industries, especially fishing, is also crucial\" title=\"Coexistence with local industries, especially fishing, is also crucial.\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-left text-darken text-truncate text-low-up mt-3\">\n                Coexistence with local industries, especially fishing, is also crucial.<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Hidenori Yonekura, from the New Energy and Industrial <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology<\/a> Development Organization, sees the nascent floating wind energy as a path to eventually lower costs, by installing more turbines in Japan&#8217;s vast Exclusive Economic Zone of 4.5 million square kilometers.<\/p>\n<p>The task, however, <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ears Herculean: to meet the 2040 wind target, around 200 15-megawatt turbines a year need to go up.<\/p>\n<p>But &#8220;the infrastructure is not yet in place&#8221;, warned Yonekura. &#8220;Japan lacks turbine manufacturers and large production sites.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Fishers_livelihoods\"><\/span>Fishers&#8217; livelihoods<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Construction companies also face technical challenges with these still-novel systems: defects discovered in the floating structure of a wind turbine at Goto meant Toda had to make replacements, delaying the project by two years.<\/p>\n<p>Coexistence with local industries, especially fishing, is also crucial.<\/p>\n<p>Toda said it had conducted an environmental assessment and found a pilot project had &#8220;no negative impact on fish&#8221;.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/japan-is-facing-rising.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2025\/japan-is-facing-rising.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Japan is facing rising project costs and fears over inadequate infrastructure to produce turbines on mass.\">\n<figure class=\"article-img text-center\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2025\/japan-is-facing-rising.jpg\" alt=\"Japan is facing rising project costs and fears over inadequate infrastructure to produce turbines on mass\" title=\"Japan is facing rising project costs and fears over inadequate infrastructure to produce turbines on mass.\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-left text-darken text-truncate text-low-up mt-3\">\n                Japan is facing rising project costs and fears over inadequate infrastructure to produce turbines on mass.<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Fishermen also receive part of the revenue from electricity sales and some of the property taxes generated by the project, while some have been hired to monitor the construction site with their vessels.<\/p>\n<p>But according to Takuya Eashiro, head of the Fukue fishing cooperative in Goto, the wind project was imposed &#8220;from the top&#8221; and presented as &#8220;a done deal&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>Nevertheless, &#8220;fishermen understand the importance of such a project for Japan&#8221;, he said.<\/p>\n<p>The National Federation of Fisheries Co-operative Associations protested to the government after Mitsubishi withdrew, reminding them that fishermen had worked with these projects, hoping for positive economic impacts.<\/p>\n<p>As fishing becomes less viable owing to warming sea temperatures, &#8220;some hope their children or grandchildren will find jobs in wind turbine maintenance&#8221;, said Eashiro.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-main__note mt-4\">\n                                                \u00a9 2025 AFP\n                                            <\/p>\n<p>                                        <!-- print only --><\/p>\n<div class=\"d-none d-print-block\">\n<p>\n                                                <strong>Citation<\/strong>:<br \/>\n                                                Floating wind power sets sail in Japan&#8217;s energy shift (2025, September 21)<br \/>\n                                                retrieved 21 September 2025<br \/>\n                                                from https:\/\/techxplore.com\/<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>\/2025-09-power-japan-energy-shift.html\n                                            <\/p>\n<p>\n                                            This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no<br \/>\n                                            part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.\n                                            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script id=\"facebook-jssdk\" async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Science category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/techxplore.com\/news\/2025-09-power-japan-energy-shift.html\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Floating turbines are particularly well suited to Japan as its deep coastal waters make fixing them to seabeds tricky. Close to a small fishing port in southwestern Japan, the slim white turbines of the country&#8217;s first commercial-scale floating wind farm glimmer offshore, months before a key project in Tokyo&#8217;s green-energy strategy begins. Still heavily reliant&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":691291,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2025\/floating-turbines-are.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-691290","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sciencee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/691290","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=691290"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/691290\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/691291"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=691290"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=691290"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=691290"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}