It lies offshore the northernmost tip of the westerly Kyushu island in Fukuoka Prefecture. Developed by the Hibiki Wind Energy consortium, it consists of 25 Vestas turbines rated at 9.6 MW each. The fixed-bottom installation is expected to generate around 500 GWh of electricity annually.

The consortium behind the project is led by J-Power, which holds a 40% stake, alongside Kyuden Mirai Energy with 30%. The remaining shares are held by Hokutaku, Saibu Gas and Kraftia – formerly Kyudenko – with 10% each.

Kitakyushu Hibikinada surpasses the 112 MW Ishikari Bay New Port wind farm, which entered operation in January 2024 and had previously been Japan’s largest offshore wind installation.

Earlier this year (January 2026) Japan commissioned its first commercial offshore floating wind project, the 16.8 MW Goto City project in nearby Nagasaki Prefecture. Comprising eight Hitachi 2.1 MW turbines, Goto City employs a hybrid spar-type floater featuring a steel upper section and a concrete lower section.  

According to consortium partner Toda Corporation, the project is the world’s first commercial application of such hybrid spar-type floater technology. It also reports that Goto City is the first operational project to be developed under the government’s Act on Promoting the Utilization of Sea Areas for the Development of Marine Renewable Energy.

Other consortium members are Eneos Renewable Energy, Osaka Gas, Inpex, Kansai Electric Power and Chubu Electric Power.  

Call for strengthened government support  

While these projects highlight progress, industry groups say much stronger policy support will be needed if Japan is to realise its offshore wind ambitions. The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), Asia Clean Energy Coalition (ACEC) and the Climate Group RE100 initiative, have jointly urged the Japanese government to strengthen support mechanisms for upcoming offshore wind auctions.

In a letter to policymakers, the organisations have called for clearer and more predictable market frameworks, including appropriate ceiling and floor prices, indexation mechanisms covering the full operational period of projects, and a long-term decarbonisation auction system for offshore wind.

They argue that although Japan has set ambitious renewable energy targets, offshore wind deployment has so far struggled to scale. 

According to the government’s Seventh Strategic Energy Plan, released in February 2025, Japan aims to install 10 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030 and 30–45 GW by 2040, including floating offshore wind farms. The Plan, which targets renewables providing 40–50% of electricity generation by 2040, sees wind expected to account for between 4% and 8% of power generation.

According to the Energy Institute’s 2025 Statistical Review of World Energy, Japan had 5.83 GW of total wind capacity in 2024.

Corporate demand for renewable electricity is also rising rapidly. According to RE100, more than 90 Japanese companies are now members of the initiative, yet only 36% of their electricity consumption currently comes from renewable sources, compared with a global RE100 average of 53%.

The letter warns that demand for clean electricity in Japan is already outpacing supply and suggests that large-scale offshore wind could provide one of the most effective ways to close that gap.

‘History is clear: no successful offshore wind market has emerged without early government support,’ says GWEC. ‘But once the first several GW of projects are underway, costs fall sharply; just as they have in mature markets across Europe, Asia and North America. Japan can follow the same path.’