Akita Offshore Wind Corporation

What Akita Offshore Wind Corporation does

Akita Offshore Wind Corporation (秋田洋上風力発電株式会社) is a special-purpose Japanese corporation established in April 2016 to develop and operate Japan's first commercial-scale large offshore wind power generation project. The company is structured as a joint venture of 13 shareholders led by Marubeni Corporation, with participation from Obayashi Clean Energy, three regional utilities (Tohoku Electric Power, Kansai Electric Power, Chubu Electric Power), and seven Akita Prefecture-based companies. Akita Offshore Wind Corporation owns and operates 33 fixed-bottom wind turbines (Vestas 4.2MW) deployed across two sites — 13 units at Akita Port and 20 units at Noshiro Port — connected via dedicated onshore substations and transmission infrastructure to the Tohoku regional grid, with total installed capacity of approximately 140MW.

The project uses proven bottom-fixed (着床式) monopile foundation technology with transition pieces, installed using Seajacks' Zaratan self-elevating jack-up vessel (the vessel's first-ever Japanese port call). All 33 foundations were completed by September 2021, all turbines were installed by September 2022, and commercial operations commenced at Noshiro Port on December 22, 2022 and at Akita Port on January 31, 2023. The 140MW of generation capacity is equivalent to the electricity consumption of approximately 130,000 households, supporting Japan's decarbonization and renewable energy targets.

The company's revenue model is a single regulated revenue stream: 100% of generated electricity is sold to Tohoku Electric Power Network Corporation under a 20-year Feed-in Tariff (FIT) contract. The total project cost was approximately 100 billion yen (~$660M USD). The company also operates the 'AOW風みらい館' (AOW Mirai-kan) public exhibition center at Akita Bay Paradise, which serves as a community relations and educational outreach platform alongside the company's broader stakeholder engagement program with local government, schools, and community groups in Akita Prefecture. Leadership transitioned in April 2024, with Inoue Soichi succeeding Okagaki Keiji as President and Representative Director.

Name

Akita Offshore Wind Corporation

Legal name

秋田洋上風力発電株式会社

Website

https://aow.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Akita Offshore Wind Corporation operates Japan's first commercial-scale large offshore wind power project, running 33 fixed-bottom turbines across Akita and Noshiro Ports totaling approximately 140MW, with all electricity sold to Tohoku Electric Power Network under a 20-year Feed-in Tariff contract.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Offshore Wind Power Generation

NAICS

Wind Electric Power Generation (221115)

SIC

Electric Services (4911)

akta.pro primary industry

Offshore Wind Power Generation (Fixed-Bottom) (EUACAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wind Farm Ownership & Operations (IPP/Utility-Owned Asset Operations) (EUACAFAF), Wind Operations, Maintenance & Asset Management (Scheduled/Unscheduled) (EUAMACAH)

Keywords

• Offshore wind power
• Renewable energy generation
• Wind farm operations
• Utility-scale electricity
• Wind power generation

Headquarters

HQ city

Akita

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Electricity Sales to Tohoku Electric Power Network: The company generates revenue by selling all electricity produced by the 140MW offshore wind power facilities to Tohoku Electric Power Network株式会社 under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) through Japan's Feed-in Tariff (FIT)制度. Commercial operations began in December 2022 (Noshiro Port) and January 2023 (Akita Port).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Akita Offshore Wind Corporation operates Japan's first commercial-scale large offshore wind power generation project, consisting of 33 bottom-fixed wind turbines (13 at Akita Port and 20 at Noshiro Port) with a combined capacity of approximately 140MW. The company generates and sells 100% of the electricity produced to Tohoku Electric Power Network Corporation under a 20-year power purchase agreement governed by Japan's Feed-in Tariff (FIT) system.

Product overview

Akita Offshore Wind Corporation operates Japan's first commercial-scale large offshore wind power generation project, consisting of fixed-bottom offshore wind farms at Akita Port (13 turbines, ~54.6MW) and Noshiro Port (20 turbines, ~84MW), with a combined capacity of approximately 140MW. The core offering is electricity generation and sales to Tohoku Electric Power Network under a 20-year power purchase agreement. Supporting the core generation business, the company operates the 'AOW風みらい館' exhibition center that provides public education and awareness about offshore wind power through interactive displays, VR experiences, and guided tours. The company also provides on-site viewing areas at both ports for public observation of the wind turbines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AOW風みらい館: Exhibition space showcasing the company's offshore wind power project with models, actual cable samples, exhibition materials about offshore wind power generation, construction videos, VR experiences of offshore work from the workers' perspective, and underwater videos around wind turbine foundations.

Products and services

• Offshore Wind Power Generation — Akita Port Facility Fixed-bottom (着床式) offshore wind power generation facility at Akita Port comprising 13 wind turbines of 4.2MW each (approximately 54.6MW total capacity). Sells 100% of electricity generated to Tohoku Electric Power Network under 20-year FIT contract.
• Offshore Wind Power Generation — Noshiro Port Facility Fixed-bottom (着床式) offshore wind power generation facility at Noshiro Port comprising 20 wind turbines of 4.2MW each (approximately 84MW total capacity). Sells 100% of electricity generated to Tohoku Electric Power Network under 20-year FIT contract.

Quantifiable outcome

• CO2 emission reduction through renewable energy generation
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• べスタス・ジャパン株式会社 (Vestas Japan)coreTechnology or IntegrationWind turbine supplier providing the 4.2MW turbines for the project. Handles maintenance operations for the wind turbines. Responsible for turbine-related operations including oil leak incident management.
• Seajacks社 (Seajacks)coreTechnology or IntegrationProvides self-elevating jack-up vessel (Zaratan) for offshore foundation and turbine installation. The vessel was used for monopile and transition piece installation (2021) and turbine assembly (2022). First-ever Japanese port call for the vessel.
• 東北電力株式会社 (Tohoku Electric Power)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOne of 13 shareholders and the exclusive buyer of all electricity generated under the 20-year FIT contract.
• 鹿島・住友電気工業特定建設工事共同企業体 (Kajima-Sumitomo Electric Industry JV)majorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMain construction contractor for the project, handling civil engineering and electrical infrastructure work including onshore substations and cable installation.
• 株式会社きんでん (Kinden Corporation)majorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerElectrical construction partner involved in power transmission infrastructure construction.
• 秋田県・能代市 (Akita Prefecture / Noshiro City)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal government partners that designated the company as an approved attracting enterprise and provided support for project development, land use agreements, and community relations.
• 秋田海上保安部・第二管区海上保安部 (Japan Coast Guard Akita/Kita Regional HQ)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConducts regular joint rescue training exercises with the company to prepare for海上 accident response at the offshore wind facilities.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• JERA: Japan's largest power generator (JV of TEPCO and Chubu Electric) is developing offshore wind projects including the Tsuchiya-Akita round-2 project. Operates as a major Japanese utility-backed offshore wind developer in the same regulatory and FIT/corporate PPA framework as AOW.
• Vineyard Wind / Avangrid Renewables (Iberdrola): US-based offshore wind operator under Iberdrola, also pursuing Asian offshore wind opportunities. Comparable to AOW as a fixed-bottom offshore wind IPP using monopile technology, though focused on US markets.
• Equinor (Hywind, Empire Wind): Norwegian energy major with offshore wind portfolio spanning fixed-bottom (Empire Wind US) and floating (Hywind). Comparable to AOW as an offshore wind IPP and is a likely reference point for the floating wind roadmap explicitly cited in AOW's CEO message.
• RWE Offshore Wind: One of the world's largest offshore wind operators/developers with operations in Europe, the US, and Asia-Pacific. Directly comparable to AOW as a fixed-bottom offshore wind farm owner/operator, though at greater scale and outside Japan.
• Ørsted: Global offshore wind leader and largest fixed-bottom developer worldwide. Comparable to AOW on technology (fixed-bottom monopile turbines) and end-market (offshore wind IPP), though at vastly larger scale. Not currently an active Japanese project developer but represents the upper bound of valuation for offshore wind IPPs.

Direct peers

• Sumitomo Corporation (Energy Division): Japanese trading house with an offshore wind development pipeline and joint venture experience (e.g., Round 1 Oga project). Directly comparable to AOW on business model and served as construction JV partner (Kajima-Sumitomo) on AOW's own build.
• Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP): CIP is the largest foreign offshore wind developer in Japan, with multiple winning bids in rounds 1-3 (including Akita Yurihonjo, Sai-Oga, Oga-Katagami-Akita). Directly competes with AOW for Japanese offshore wind zones and uses the same fixed-bottom and floating technology stack.
• Marubeni Corporation (Offshore Wind Division): Marubeni is both AOW's lead shareholder and an independent offshore wind developer globally (e.g., UK Beatrice, German Baltic Eagle). Closely comparable to AOW on business model and is the entity most likely to leverage AOW's operational learning for future Japanese offshore wind projects.
• Eurus Energy: Japanese-aligned wind energy developer (Toyota Tsusho + Tokyo Electric Power + Chubu Electric) with onshore wind focus and growing offshore wind ambitions. Comparable to AOW as a Japanese wind IPP with utility shareholder backing.

Regional players

• Inpex Corporation (INPEX): Japanese energy major entering offshore wind as a natural extension of its offshore E&P expertise. Comparable to AOW as a Japanese offshore wind project sponsor with utility-like scale and government relationships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Akita Offshore Wind Corporation