Posted on May 22, 2024
TOKYO-Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President & CEO: Takeshi Hashimoto) today announced that MOL and its group company Hokutaku Co., Ltd. (Hokutaku; President: Ryota Hayashi; Head Office: Asahikawa, Hokkaido) have completed the construction of a training facility specializing in practical operation and maintenance of offshore wind power generation on the premises of Hokutaku’s Kyushu Branch. A completion ceremony was held at the new facility today.
This is the first training facility in Japan to use the transition piece, which is the connection between the foundation of an offshore wind turbine and the wind turbine tower. The facility will be able to provide maintenance training, assuming risks specific to offshore wind power generation, based on Hokutaku’s expertise in maintenance and case studies from Europe, which is the leading player in the offshore wind power generation business.
The completion ceremony drew a large crowd of interested parties, including local officials, and was followed by a demonstration of the training for electric power companies and companies involved in the construction of the facility.
The training course is not limited to Hokutaku’s own maintenance engineers but is open to all those involved in offshore wind power maintenance. It will contribute to the development of the offshore wind industry by training personnel who can operate the power plant safely and reliably over the long term. In addition, MOL and Hokutaku aim to become the partners of choice for the entire offshore wind power value chain, by combining the strengths of both companies.
MOL and Hokutaku will continue to expand their offshore wind power generation business in Kitakyushu City, one of the leading offshore wind power generation areas in Japan, through investment in offshore wind power generation projects.
With Hokutaku as the representative subsidizing company and MOL as the participating subsidizing company, this facility was built as one of the subsidized projects in the “Offshore Wind Power Human Resource Development Project administered by the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, part of Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, for FY2022 and FY2023.
[Details of training]
[Positioning of Kitakyushu for MOL and Hokutaku]
Through the Hokutaku-MOL Wind Energy Investment Limited Partnership (“Hokutaku-MOL Wind Energy Fund”), jointly established by MOL and Hokutaku, the two companies are executing an investment in Hokutaku Corporation, a special purpose company that owns a 10% stake in Hibiki Wind Energy Co., Ltd. (President: Yutaka Mizumachi; Location: Wakamatsu-ku, Kitakyushu-shi). Hibiki Wind Energy is pursuing the construction of the Kitakyushu-Hibikinada Offshore Wind Farm, one of the largest offshore wind projects in Japan, targeting start of commercial operation by the end of fiscal 2025. The Port of Kitakyushu has been designated as a base port for offshore wind power generation, and the “Green Energy Port Hibiki” project is backed by Kitakyushu City with the goal of creating a cluster of wind power generation and other energy-related industries, expanding the supply chain as a base for offshore wind power generation in western Japan.
[Introduction of Companies]
About Hokutaku
Hokutaku was established in 1982, and its vice president, Satoru Yoshida, focused on wind turbine operation and maintenance at the dawn of the industry and started the wind turbine maintenance business in 1999. To date, the company has offered a wide range of services, leveraging its many years of experience, for all manufacturers in both onshore and offshore wind power installations. Hokutaku is the only third-party wind power maintenance company with a strong network of major domestic and international suppliers and outstanding know-how and experience. For details, please visit www.hokutaku-co.jp.
About MOL
MOL, established in 1884 and headquartered in Tokyo, is one of the world’s leading ocean shipping companies, operating about 800 vessels worldwide. It is developing various social infrastructure businesses, technologies, and services centered on marine transport to meet the ever-changing needs of society, such as environmental protection. MOL’s fleet includes dry bulkers, LNG carriers, car carriers, and tankers. In addition to the traditional shipping business, it is also developing social infrastructure businesses such as terminals, logistics, and offshore wind power, as well as wellbeing businesses such as real property, cruises, and ferries. For details, please visit https://www.mol.co.jp/en/.
(Training facility and Completion ceremony)
