ITOCHU Corporation (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo; Keita Ishii, President & COO; hereinafter “ITOCHU”) announced today that ITOCHU and Hitachi Zosen Corporation (headquartered in Osaka, Osaka Prefecture; Sadao Mino, President & CEO; hereinafter “Hitachi Zosen”) have begun preparations for the development and operation of an onshore wind farm in an area facing the Pacific Ocean in Rokkasho Village, Kamikita District, Aomori Prefecture and for the wholesale supply of the electricity it produces, following the incorporation of Mutsu Ogawara Wind Power LLC. (Osaka, Osaka Prefecture; Hitachi Zosen, Representative Partner; Takashi Fujita, Executive Manager) in December 2019.

Mutsu Ogawara Wind Power LLC. recently concluded a loan agreement with MUFG Bank, Ltd. (lead arranger) and Development Bank of Japan Inc. (co-arranger) and signed an EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) full-turnkey contract^* and a 20-year operation and maintenance services contract with Hitachi Zosen.

The project involves the construction of an onshore windfarm with an interconnection capacity of 57,000 kW (maximum output capacity of 64,500 kW) in the region, aiming for the start of operations around April 2026. Once operational, it is expected to supply electricity equivalent to the annual electricity consumed by about 46,000 ordinary households and to reduce CO₂ emissions by approximately 81,000 tons per year.

ITOCHU has set "Enhancing our contribution to and engagement with the SDGs through business activities" as a Basic Policy in its medium-term management plan, and is actively focusing on the renewable sector. Leveraging its track record in the development and operation of mega solar and biomass power plants, ITOCHU is promoting the development of distributed power sources using solar power generation and energy storage batteries and increasing its involvement in the development and operation of onshore and offshore windfarms, which are expected to become much more widespread both in Japan and overseas. Through such initiatives, ITOCHU will continue contributing to the realization of a decarbonized society, sustainable local communities and a reduced impact on the global environment.

Hitachi Zosen has built 12 onshore windfarms to date and currently operates windfarms with a total of power output 8,000 kW (four units, each with a power output of 2,000 kW) in Akita Prefecture. Meanwhile, in the offshore windfarm sector, Hitachi Zosen is involved in technology development and demonstration projects for both tower-mounted and floating wind turbines, with the manufacture of foundation structures as its main focus for future business expansion. Hitachi Zosen is also expanding business in the clean energy domain, including energy-from-waste systems, hydrogen production by electrolysis of water, and methanation, and aims to be "a solution partner that contributes to the realization of a sustainable, safe, and secure society."

The outline of the project is as follows: