Offshore Wind
JFE Engineering has won the long-term inspection and maintenance contract for all components of the 315 MW project off Oga, Katagami and Akita City except the turbines.
This includes the onshore substation, onshore line and subsea cables, as well as the foundations.
JFE is also the company that makes the monopiles for the foundations at its Kasaoka works in Okayama. The firm that fabricates them will now inspect them.
It already carries out this type of work at the Nyuzen offshore wind farm off Toyama (pictured), including remote monitoring.
The contract runs for five years. JFE says that renewals and extensions are intended to cover the entire project period.
Operation is scheduled for June 2028. A fabrication order ends when the last unit is shipped. This one could run for decades.
The work is shared with Akita Maritime Service, a local company established in 2023. Akita Maritime Service is responsible for onshore line inspections and arranging work boats and guard vessels. Its founding shareholders include local fishery cooperatives.
This is the detail worth noting. In Japan, the local benefits of offshore wind are usually discussed at the bidding stage, as points on a score sheet. Here, however, it takes the form of a service contract with a counterparty and a term.
