Japan nods ‘yes’ for megawatt-scale tidal energy project

The government of Japan has approved the development of a megawatt-scale tidal energy project offshore Goto Islands as part of the country’s drive to decarbonize its energy system by using innovative offshore renewable energy technologies.

The Ministry of Environment of Japan has selected local renewable energy developer Kyuden Mirai Energy to lead the project whose purpose is to demonstrate the practical application of tidal stream power generation technology suitable for Japan.

Selected as part of the government’s open call for innovative decarbonization projects, the initiative brings together Kyuden Mirai Energy and Nagasaki Marine Industry Cluster Promotion Association (NaMICPA), a regional non-profit organization set up to progress the development of marine renewables, with SIMEC Atlantis Energy onboard as equipment supplier.

With the planned budget of approximately €5.16 million for the project, Kyuden Mirai Energy will work with its partners to bring tidal energy industry closer to commercialization through the demonstration of a commercial-scale tidal power turbine with 1MW output.

The tidal energy system will be installed in the Naru Strait, at the same site which hosted SIMEC Atlantis’ 500kW AR500 tidal energy system which exported close to 250MWh of clean power to the Japanese grid during its 11-month-long demonstration, completed in late 2021.

The AR500 tidal generation system passed the Japanese government’s pre-use inspection tests in September 2021, securing the title of an official power generation facility in the country.

As Offshore Energy understands, the partners plan to revamp the demonstrated 500kW AR500 tidal energy system by introducing several innovations engineering innovations such as longer blades and advanced controls for yaw and pitch systems to bring its capacity to megawatt-scale level.

Also, the partners intend to implement all of the lessons gathered during the initial 500kW system demonstration, and further examine maintenance and grid connection methods, implementation of environmental assessments, and the establishment of standardization methods for the sector.

Kyuden Mirai Energy will be in charge of overall business management, including the tasks related to power generation and operation, with NaMICPA providing services related to environmental impact assessment and numerical simulations for power generation, while SIMEC Atlantis will supply the equipment and supervise both onshore and offshore construction through its Japanese subsidiary Atlantis Operations Japan.

According to an initial schedule for the project published by Kyden Mirai Energy, the partners will in 2022 be working on the design of the equipment and generator, that will be followed by the procurement process and the start of manufacturing.

The 1MW turbine is expected to be installed in 2023, while the start of power generation is scheduled to follow in 2024.

The overarching goal of the project is to prove that tidal stream power generation technology is suitable for Japan as a contributor to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, build a business model for the industry, and promote its suitability for decarbonization of remote island areas.

Also, the project will seek to capitalize on Japan’s wealth of tidal energy resources, said to be some of the best in the world.