Japan Govt to Review Withdrawal of Mitsubishi, Consortium Before Reopening Bidding for Offshore Wind Projects

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:52 JST, September 12, 2025

The government plans to review the factors that led to a domestic consortium, which included Mitsubishi Corp., to withdraw from offshore wind power generation projects before opening the bidding process again.

The Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry and the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry held their first expert panel meeting on Thursday to discuss the large-scale projects since the consortium announced its withdrawal.

The ministries plan to not only analyze why the consortium withdrew from the projects but also consider support measures for the companies that win bids.

In the initial government tender in 2021, the consortium submitted the winning bids for three sea areas, offering prices that were significantly lower than those of other companies.

However, the group announced its withdrawal in August, citing deteriorating profitability.

With local governments and others hoping for the project to continue, the government plans to hold another round of bidding for the three areas within this year.

At the meeting, a committee member pointed out that the government should not prioritize price but focus on helping business operators instead.

Another member said that having the consortium share the geological and topographical data it gathered, as well as its expertise, would reduce costs for business operators, even in the bidding process.

To prevent future withdrawals and having to begin the bidding process again, the government plans to analyze the case of Mitsubishi and its partners to improve support measures.

The government will, in principle, extend the maximum number of years for which offshore areas can be used for wind power generation from the current 30 years to 40 years.

The ministries are also considering giving preferential treatment to companies that purchase the electricity.

The third round of bidding has already been completed, with major power generation companies like JERA Co., and trading houses such as Mitsui & Co., Sumitomo Corp. and Marubeni Corp. winning bids for offshore areas in Japan.

Such issues as whether to apply the new support measures retroactively to the seven areas where companies have already won bids — excluding projects involving Mitsubishi and its partners — and how to ensure fairness with other renewable energy projects will need to be addressed.