GE Renewable Energy and Toshiba Energy Systems and Solutions Corporation have formed a strategic partnership to localise manufacturing of the US company’s 12-14MW Haliade-X offshore wind turbine in Japan.
The two partners will also work together to support commercialisation of the turbine in Japan, as the country prepares to launch its offshore wind sector.
Toshiba had announced plans to produce a “state of the art” wind turbine late last year, but did not provide many details – including whether it was onshore or offshore.
Meanwhile, GE Renewable Energy CEO Jerôme Pécresse recently told Windpower Monthly that the manufacturer was actively looking at Asia for offshore wind growth, citing Japan as a key target market.
GE has received orders for its Haliade-X turbine in the US and the UK. It recently secured typhoon certification for the 12-13MW variant, clearing the way for it to use the platform in Asia. It would need further clearance to deploy the 14MW model in markets hit by extreme wind conditions.
GE and Toshiba explained that they would leverage their collective technology manufacturing facilities and skills, construction, operation and maintenance expertise as part of the agreement.
The US company will provide the Haliade-X technology, provide parts and components for nacelle assembly and assist Toshiba in developing a local supply chain. It will also also support Toshiba in assembling the turbine nacelles.
Meanwhile, Toshiba will assemble, warehouse and transport the nacelles, provide maintenance services and be responsible for sales and commercial activity in the Japanese market.
The wider GE company and Toshiba have worked together on power systems for decades. The US tech giant has been active in Japan across its aviation, healthcare and power businesses
Japan aims to install 30-45GW of offshore wind capacity by 2040, and is expected to start announcing auction results from June, according to the Japanese Wind Power Association.
