Siemens has started to take orders for wind turbines in Japan, focusing on large direct drive 3 MW models, after effectively suspending marketing activities in 2004. Most wind turbines operating in Japan are rated at 1 or 2MW, and very few can produce 3 MW. The Siemens WTGs are expected to be priced at roughly 1 billion yen each. Siemens aims to receive domestic orders for 100 MW a year by fiscal 2015 and may also sell offshore wind turbines.
The company made a full entry into the Japanese market in the 1990s, delivering around 128 MW in wind turbines, mainly 1.3 and 2.0 MW models. But it stopped accepting orders owing to the market’s sluggish growth. It has now decided to re-enter the market after seeing the country’s growing interest in renewable energy. Another positive factor is the expected introduction next July of a programme that will require utilities to buy electricity from renewable energy sources at a set price.
