Almost 10% of Japan’s 2012 large-scale PV projects now officially cancelled

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

A survey into Japan’s approved but unbuilt solar PV projects from the 2012 fiscal year has produced another set of definitive results, with 1.82GW of cancellations announced by the government this week.

Yasuhiro Goto, deputy director of Japan’s Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, a division of the influential Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) confirmed the figure to PV Tech this morning. Goto said the ministry would not be naming developers involved in the cases due to the wish to respect privacy and reputation.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

However a specially convened working group that looked into the projects and 2012 approved projects made its findings public. Documents released by the group and posted in Japanese on the METI website show that 1.82GW, 9.7% of financial year 2012’s approved projects, have been cancelled, while hearings are now expected to be held for a further 2.7GW of 2012 approvals.

Conversely, the ministry’s working group said 8.8GW, or 47% of 2012’s projects were already connected or had produced the necessary documentation to go ahead with construction.

The document details some of the main reasons for project cancellations, placing emphasis on the grid connection issues that have become a stumbling block to much development in the remote northern island region of Hokkaido and the equally remote sub-tropical southern island region of Okinawa. It was not immediately clear from the working group’s document how many projects this applied to.

There had originally been some intimation that due to the relatively lucrative FiT rates offered in 2012 when Japan’s tariff programme was launched and the ease of obtaining FiT approval as long as accredited equipment was used, some developers had applied for projects at the 2012 rate and waited until costs went down to start actually developing their projects, thus maximising profits. Last week, METI told PV Tech that a deadline at the end of August for developers of 2012-approved projects had met with a good response.

Read Next

Premium
October 10, 2025
Gaëtan Masson of IEA PVPS warns of overcapacity, collapsing prices and slipping module quality in the new Trends in PV Applications report.
October 10, 2025
The European solar module market has reached a “state of equilibrium” in recent weeks, with stable prices and regular demand.
October 10, 2025
US solar recycling firm OnePlanet has achieved the R2v3 certification from electronics sustainability non-profit SERI, which represents the “highest standards of traceability”.
October 10, 2025
NTPC Renewable Energy Limited has signed an MoU with the Government of Gujarat to develop 15GW renewable energy projects in Gujarat.
October 10, 2025
Australia's renewable energy sector recorded its slowest month of the year for additions in September, with 5.8GW of new projects added to development pipelines, according to data from Rystad Energy.
October 9, 2025
The Australian government has announced the results of the fourth Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS) tender, with 6.6GW of renewables awarded long-term contracts.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
October 21, 2025
New York, USA
Solar Media Events
November 25, 2025
Warsaw, Poland
Solar Media Events
December 2, 2025
Málaga, Spain
Solar Media Events
February 3, 2026
London, UK