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China Wind Turbine Maker Wins Offshore Project in Japan
Mingyang first Chinese company to land such an order as it plans overseas push
Workers inspect a wind turbine in China's Gansu Province. Chinese players have quickly gained know-how in the field, thanks partly to Beijing's push to promote renewable energy and curb the use of coal. © Reuters
SHUNSUKE TABETA, Nikkei staff writer February 4, 2022 09:44 JST
BEIJING -- Mingyang Smart Energy Group will become the first Chinese player to supply turbines for an offshore wind farm in Japan as the cheaper equipment helps lower hurdles for the country's new renewable power projects.
Mingyang recently reached an agreement to provide three 3-megawatt turbines for a wind power facility off the coast of Nyuzen, a town in central Japan. The company will soon sign a formal contract with general contractor Shimizu Corp., and will seek third-party certification for its equipment, a source familiar with the matter said.
The size of the deal has not been made public.
Slated to start operation as early as next year, the Nyuzen project is run by a consortium led by renewable energy company Venti Japan. The turbines will be installed a few hundred meters from the coast, meaning they can be affixed to the sea floor instead of floating platforms.
This presents the possibility that the company will have access to collect data on wind and ocean currents that are tied to Japan's defenses, an issue that has raised concerns as countries grow more protective of data that relates to national security and economic competitiveness, especially as tensions between the U.S. and China rise.
Both the Japanese and Chinese sides plan to respond carefully to any national security concerns that arise from the new wind power project. They have agreed that no data on wind or ocean currents collected during the turbines' installation and operation will be transferred to China.
Founded in 2006, Mingyang is known for producing high-quality and competitively priced products. It ranked sixth in the world, and third in China, as a supplier of new wind turbines in 2020, according to the Global Wind Energy Council.
Chinese government incentives to promote wind power have also contributed to its rapid growth. The company more than doubled revenue in 2020 to 22.4 billion yuan ($3.52 billion), and almost doubled net profit to 1.3 billion yuan.
Mingyang is one of China's leading manufacturers of wind power turbines. (Photo from Mingyang Smart Energy Group's social media)
Mingyang has been particularly focused on offshore turbines in recent years, tapping its strength in dealing with typhoons and other natural disasters. It ranks fourth in the world, and second in China, when it comes to offshore turbines.
Still, overseas markets make up a small portion of its overall sales. It likely aims to leverage the contract in Japan, which is known for having stringent standards, into further opportunities across Asia and beyond.
Mingyang was chosen for the Nyuzen wind farm because it makes turbines cheaper than Western rivals such as Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, headquartered in Spain, and Denmark's Vestas, according to those involved in the project.
"China is geographically closer to Japan, so we can receive maintenance services more quickly," one official said.
The consortium is believed to originally have been considering Japanese-made turbines. But Hitachi announced an end to domestic wind turbine production in 2019. There are now no more major manufacturers making offshore turbines in Japan, according to the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy.
Chinese players are only expected to increase their global market share using know-how gained at home, with Beijing encouraging the construction of new offshore wind farms to curb the country's reliance on coal. China built more offshore wind power capacity in 2020 than any other country, according to the wind energy council. It also connected more than 10 times as much new offshore capacity to its power grids in 2021 than it did in 2017, Chinese media report.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Energy/China-wind-turbine-maker-wins-offshore-project-in-Japan
A Major WIN for Chinese Companies
Japan market known for having Stringent Standards.Just realize that japan didn't have any Major Manufacturers that produce Wind Turbines
No Wonder their economy keep declining
