Singapore’s Equis Energy is teaming up with EPC Bouygues Energies & Services and Toho Electrical to build a 13.7MW solar project in the Aomori Prefecture in Japan.
Construction for the Noheji-based project began in April this year, with commissioning scheduled for November. It is comprised of 44,000 PV modules from Hanwha Q CELLS, and features Schneider inverters and fixed-tilt structure by Schletter. Upon completion, it will generate around 14,800MWh annually – enough clean electricity to power 2,800 households.
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Equis' local subsidiary owns the project, and will assume O&M responsibilities for the park.
“Equis believes there are tremendous opportunities for growth in the Japanese solar market and we look forward to continuing to expand our partnership with Bouygues Energies & Services across both Japan and the Asia region,” said Adam Ballin, Equis board director. “As one of the leading providers of solar energy in Japan, Equis is extremely well‐placed to continue to assist the government in meeting its renewable generation targets to 2030 and beyond.”
Xavier Perdereau, Business Development director and CEO of Bouygues Energies & Services added: “We are proud of this new success and mark of confidence from Equis’ team. Bouygues’ ambition is to be a key player in the renewable market as EPC Contractor. This first reference in Japan represents for Bouygues an important achievement, as the dynamic of renewable energy makes Japan a world‐class leader, where we will bring our engineering and capability to manage turn‐key projects thanks to our strong partnership with TOHO Electrical.”
Equis has partnered with Bouygues Energies on Asian PV before; building four other facilities in Thailand and the Philippines. In the latter, Bouygyes built Southeast Asia’s largest solar project at 132.5MW. In February, Equis expanded into the Australian market, with a 200MW PV pipeline.
In terms of the Japanese solar market, Equis told PV Tech that the company is pleased with the developments the government has made to renewable energy laws, which in turn should allow for more government-approved projects: “The revision to the law requires developers to move forward with construction and completion, rather than – as some developers had been doing – waiting for technology costs to fall and increase profit margins. The change is a positive one from Equis’ point of view as we have always been an active developer; we own 40 projects comprising 0.9 GW and have a further 1.3 GW under development. We strongly believe renewables represent the future for Japan both economically and environmentally, and are excited about the contribution we are making to supplying Japan with low-cost, clean solar energy.”