MPS joins forces with JGC Japan to pursue Japanese Opportunity
MPS and JGC Japan have developed a non-exclusive collaborative working relationship to deliver floating offshore wind platforms at commercial scale. Under this relationship, MPS’ floating wind platform technology, PelaFlex, and JGC Japan’s EPCI services will combine to jointly deliver floating offshore wind projects in Japan and contribute towards the Japanese Government’s ambition to deliver 10GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030.
Offshore wind power generation is expected to be a major renewable energy source by 2050 in Japan, with the floating wind making a significant contribution to that energy mix. Floating offshore wind is receiving huge interest in Japan due to the limited area of seabed suitable for fixed-bottom wind turbines and the high population density in coastal regions. Japan has already built a significant floating wind track record through the early deployment of the technology as far back as 2011.
MPS is developing an offshore wind platform solution, called PelaFlex, for industrial-scale applications. The tension-legged platform design delivers a high degree of system stability, minimal seabed footprint, and zero tilt, reducing the wear and tear on the turbine and maximizing energy yields, and is wind turbine technology agnostic. This makes it an excellent choice for Japanese offshore wind farm developers who are looking to deliver rapid industrial-scale deployments in deep water.
The modular nature of MPS’ technology and structurally efficient tetrahedral design means the floating platform has only ten primary steel components and four distinct parts. PelaFlex has been designed to be manufactured and rapidly assembled by the existing supply chain. The platform’s low mass reduces quayside requirements, including load-bearing capacity and storage needs, and the shallow draught system removes the need for expensive dredging. Multiple launch options support a distributed port model for faster industrial-scale deployments and reduced specific port requirements.
JGC Group is a leading company in the EPC (engineering, procurement, and construction) business providing a diverse range of energy and infrastructure solutions worldwide, with over 7,000 employees across the world, headquartered in Yokohama, Japan. The Group has extensive experience with floating LNG plants for mooring, anchoring, and substation design, and JGC Japan have carried out several feasibility studies for domestic floating offshore wind farms. JGC Japan also has experience in decommissioning demonstration floating wind projects in Japan, which will add value to the solutions provided for offshore wind projects.
Martin Carruth, Commercial Director at MPS commented, “Japan is an important floating offshore wind market that is quickly advancing its deployment targets. MPS’ modular, prefabricated solution is key to industrialisation and cost reduction. Together with JGC Japan’s local knowledge and industrial energy project execution capability, we can offer an extremely credible floating offshore wind delivery solution for the Japanese market.”
Yoichi Katsuoka Associate Executive Officer at JGC Japan commented, “Japan has great potential for floating offshore wind deployment and has already completed several demonstration projects. As we move towards commercial scale projects the government and approving authorities are concerned about evaluation criteria, and they are trying to set up rules and an environment to support the deployment of floating offshore wind that will follow bottom fixed foundation projects. I believe floating offshore wind will catch up and deliver large commercial scale projects, and there are a lot of potential deployment areas in Japan. MPS is a provider of floating platform technology and is one of the potential players entering the Japanese market to expand and grow the opportunity to participate in floating offshore wind projects in Japan.”