TOKYO: Toshiba Corp. President Nobuaki Kurumatani has expressed his eagerness to promote the domestic production of offshore wind power generation systems.

In a recent interview, Kurumatani said the company aims for the domestic production of cutting-edge wind turbines, including through a possible tie-up with a foreign company.

“We hope to have a certain degree of share in large projects in Japan,” he said.

Kurumatani’s remarks come as the government, which has set a policy goal of reducing Japan’s greenhouse gas emissions to effectively zero by 2050, regards offshore wind power generation as a key to making renewable energy the main source of energy for the country.

The government has laid out a goal of raising the amount of offshore wind power generation to a maximum of 45 million kilowatts, or the equivalent of some 45 nuclear reactors, by 2040.

To this end, the government started seeking contractors for offshore wind power generation projects off Akita Prefecture, northeastern Japan, and off Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, in late November.

Toshiba aims to make a bid by the end of the application period in May next year and plans to cooperate with other companies, including a foreign company, in the bid. It will speed up efforts to work out a business plan with an increased proportion of procurement from Japanese sources.

“We will be fully ready for it (the bidding),” Kurumatani said.

Toshiba was considering the sale of factories of a chipmaking subsidiary in Kitakami, Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, and Oita, southwestern Japan.

But Kurumatani suggested that the company will keep both for the time being as it now expects to see enough operating rates at the plants thanks to growth in contract manufacturing.

JIJI Press