Japanese Diets approves offshore wind promotion law

Japanese Diets approves offshore wind promotion law

Japanese both Diets has approved new offshore wind promotion law at noon on 30 Nov.2018.
Some supplementary resolutions are added by the Diet discussion.
- To take care of fishing industry (Fishermen’s right is very strong in Japan)
- The bidding winner should secure enough fund for decommissioning at the termination of the commercial operation.

The law has been promulgated on 7 Dec. 2018.
After Diets approval, it needs 4 months for fixing detail ordinances.
The new law will be enforced next early April, and the auction for 1st candidate zones will be done next spring/summer.

The offshore wind auction winner can get grid connection right from grid auction winner (for a proper fee), METI said. Japanese government expects more than 1.5 GW of new offshore wind power in operation at more than 5 sea area by 2030.

This new offshore wind promotion law has been pushed out by political battles at last 196th ordinary Diet session in last July 2018.
Japanese Cabinet had approved offshore wind promotion law again on 6 Nov 2018.
Then, Japanese government intended to reload this law at the 197th extraordinary Diet session, which started from 24 Oct. for 48 days.

Note: Japanese sea are is divided into several zones.
1) Port associated sea area : controlled by the Port authority at prefecture government
2) General common sea area : controlled by prefecture government
3) EEZ : controlled by central government
The law for offshore wind for 1) zone had been already amended by Port & Harbour law in May 2016.
We get new law for 2) zone today.
It is very deep at 3) zone in Japan, Floating offshore wind is rewuested, but it is very expensive & not commercialized yet.

Press release by Japanese cabinet on 6 Nov. (in Japanese)
　平成30年11月6日（火）首相官邸　定例閣議案件　法律案
　海洋再生可能エネルギー発電設備の整備に係る海域の利用の促進に関する法律案（決定）
　https://www.kantei.go.jp/jp/kakugi/2018/kakugi-2018110601.html

Press release by Japanese METI (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) on 6 Nov. (in Japanese)
「海洋再生可能エネルギー発電設備の整備に係る海域の利用の促進に関する法律案」が閣議決定されました
　http://www.meti.go.jp/press/2018/11/20181106001/20181106001.html

Press release by Japanese MLIT (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism) on 6 Nov. (in Japanese)
「海洋再生可能エネルギー発電設備の整備に係る海域の利用の促進に関する法律案」が閣議決定されました
　http://www.mlit.go.jp/report/press/port06_hh_000157.html

Announcement at the House of Representatives (in Japanese)
　第197回臨時国会　衆議院の審議経過情報
　議案名「海洋再生可能エネルギー発電設備の整備に係る海域の利用の促進に関する法律案」の審議経過情報
　http://www.shugiin.go.jp/internet/itdb_gian.nsf/html/gian/keika/1DC9EB2.htm
- MLIT committee in the House starts discussion on 16 Nov.

The draft of this new law (in Japanese)
　海洋再生可能エネルギー発電設備の整備に係る海域の利用の促進に関する法律案　議案本文情報一覧
　http://www.shugiin.go.jp/internet/itdb_gian.nsf/html/gian/honbun/g19709005.htm
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http://www.shugiin.go.jp/internet/itdb_gian.nsf/html/gian/honbun/houan/g19709005.htm

Japan passes law promoting offshore wind power on 30 Nov.2018 by NHK
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20181130_34/

The contents of new law is almost the same as the law pushed out last July.
You can see it in the Baker McKenzie’s report in last March.

Japanese Cabinet approves new offshore wind general waters bill, by Baker McKenzie on 9 March 2019
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/new-offshore-wind-general-waters-bill-approved-ean-mac-pherson

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