Hitachi is planning to set up a new production line at a plant in Ibaraki prefecture, Japan to manufacture offshore wind turbine parts such as gear box and generators.
The line will produce nacelles for 5MW wind-power systems by the end of March 2016, Bloomberg reported citing Hitachi spokesman Hisahiro Sakai
The plant in Ibaraki prefecture currently manufactures nacelles for 2MW power-generation systems.
The plans for new production line come as the policy makers, manufacturers and project developers in the country are testing offshore wind projects along the nation’s coastline and beyond.
According data from Bloomberg New Energy Finance forecast, Japan’s offshore wind capacity is anticipated to increase by around 260MW over the next five years.
The Nikkei newspaper previously reported that Hitachi will invest several billions of yen to install the production line. However, Sakai did not disclose the investment details for the line.
Hitachi is a specialist producer of downwind power-generation systems that face away from the wind.
The company’s first 5MW downwind turbines were recently commissioned at a station in Kamisu City, Ibaraki prefecture, east of Tokyo.