Hello, this is Tanuchi and Mito from Rera Tech Inc. In early spring this year, we visited the construction site of an offshore wind farm off the coast of Nyuzen Town, Toyama Prefecture. This time, we will share our impressions of the offshore wind farm off the coast of Nyuzen Town from our respective perspectives.
Witnessing the world's largest SEP vessel, "BLUE WIND"
SEP ship BlueWind at Nanao Port
Tauchi From April to June this year, construction work on a fixed-bottom offshore wind power facility was carried out off the coast of Yokoyama, Nyuzen Town, Toyama Prefecture, using one of the world's largest self-elevating platform vessels (SEP vessels). Our members visited Nyuzen Town to see this project. On the day of our visit, the SEP vessel was not anchored off the coast of Yokoyama, Nyuzen Town, so we observed from land one wind turbine that had already been attached to the foundation. After that, we headed for the SEP vessel anchored at Nanao Port in Ishikawa Prefecture, and were able to see the long-awaited SEP vessel from a distance.
Struts and blades
The SEP ship is like a gigantic collective facility, and even from a distance you can see its size clearly, making even the windmill columns, which are said to be 152 meters high above sea level, look small. I was overwhelmed by its size.
Workers on the nacelle, off the coast of Yokoyama, Nyuzen Town
The offshore wind turbines in Nyuzen Town are located closer to the port, so it was interesting to be able to clearly see the distinctive shape of the turbines and the workers on the nacelles with the naked eye.
Tomoko Tanuchi
In his work at Relatec, he is responsible for coordinating cooperation with overseas companies and organizations for wind power development, as well as managing the observation equipment testing site currently being carried out off the coast of Aomori Prefecture.
Four initiatives at the Nyuzen Offshore WF
MitoAt the Nyuzen Town Offshore World Festival,The work is carried out on a domestically produced SEP vessel." "It is a small-scale offshore wind farm." "Regional bank profile project""Chinese windmills" Four new initiatives were undertaken.
Compared to typical offshore WFs, this is a small-scale WF with only three turbines. At the time of the visit, installation of the first wind turbine had been completed, and the foundations for the second and third turbines were being laid.
Construction sign
In addition, this location is close to land, less than 1km away, making it easy for visitors to see, and I had heard that there would be a wonderful view when the SEP vessel was being constructed. Unfortunately, however, on the day, the No. 2 wind turbine was being loaded at the base port, so we were not able to see it at the construction site.
Instead, I was able to see a number of workers at the land-side site for the undersea cable and on top of the nacelle of Unit 1, where they were busy with wiring and other tasks. It really struck me that the work was progressing steadily towards completion.
Scenery off Yokoyama, Nyuzen Town
The installed wind turbine and the foundation before installation
In addition, all the members thought, "Since we've come all the way to BLUE WIND, we definitely want to see it in person!" and headed to Nanao Port, the ship's base port, to see the SEP ship. We couldn't get close because the wharf was off-limits to anyone other than those involved, but we were amazed to see how the three-blade wind turbines were assembled and loaded onto the ship, as only the world's largest SEP ship could do.
I had the opportunity to speak with the security guard in charge of managing the pier, and although it was through word of mouth, I was able to hear the real stories of the crew of the SEP ship, including how it will take time to get used to operating the ship as it is a new one, and the troubles that are unique to the site during the major earthquake in Suzu City.
The Okiyo WF in Iyuzen Town is due to begin operation in September, following the operation of the Akita Port and Noshiro Port WFs from the end of last year to the beginning of this year, and this visit gave us a real sense of the rapid establishment of offshore wind farms in Japan.
Group photo taken by drone
Toshinari Mito
Rera Tech Inc.'s operations involve wind observation, including LIDAR, for wind power development, and it also conducts multiple LIDAR-related research projects.
After the visit
Although it is not related to wind turbines, Relatec previouslySupported by crowdfundingIn Toyama Prefecture,fork toyama" We had lunch at "After-school Care Center." The center operates a new type of after-school care center with the concept of "giving more freedom to work and grow."
The facility is surrounded by greenery and has a cafe and co-working space, making it a relaxing space. They are doing wonderful things, focusing on child-rearing and carrying out activities from various perspectives. I hope that more and more activities and companies will be born in various fields to create the future of Japan.
(Written by Tomoko Tanuchi)
As wind condition consultants, Rera Tech Inc. will carry out optimal wind condition surveys that combine "observation" and "estimation" for wind power generation.