Baker & McKenzie (Gaikokuho Joint Enterprise) advised the Goto Floating Wind Farm LLC Consortium led by Toda Corporation as well as ENEOS Corporation, Osaka Gas, INPEX Corporation, Kansai Electric Power and Chubu Electric Power on the construction of a 16.8 MW floating wind project in Goto Islands, Nagasaki, Japan.
The Goto Floating Wind Farm LLC Consortium was selected as the winner of Japan’s first offshore wind auction since the Renewable Sea Area Utilization Law came into effect in April 2019. Construction is scheduled to start in September this year and the wind farm is expected to be commissioned in January 2024. The project is the first to be awarded a public procured exclusive plan certification as an offshore wind power generation facility to be constructed based on the Renewable Sea Area Utilization Law.
The wind farm will feature eight Hitachi 2.1 MW wind turbines installed on hybrid spar-type, three-point mooring floating foundations off the shore of Goto City, Nagasaki Prefecture.
The Firm's team was led by Naoaki "Nick" Eguchi, co-head of the Tokyo office's Renewable Energy Group, and partner Tsutomu "Tom" Kobayashi, with the support of team members Mana Isobe, Lene Someno and Yuki Sumiyoshi.
Nick commented on the transaction by saying, "We're thrilled to be involved in this milestone project that will take floating offshore wind to the next level in Japan. This project will contribute to the development of local communities and help achieve the Japanese government's goal of carbon neutrality by 2050."