
On January 31, 2025, Shizen Energy’s subsidiary Iwate Sanriku Solar Power released draft environmental assessment for the adjacent Ofunato No. 1 and No. 2 Solar Power Plants with a planned combined output of 29.4MWAC/35.24MWDC.
According to the document, the project will primarily be located on the site of the former Okuboyama Farm in Iwate Prefecture in the Tohoku TSO area. The project will spread across approximately 98ha of land, primarily in Ofunato City, of which approximately 23ha will be used for the installation of its 76,608 460kWDC panels.
While Shizen Energy has not provided a specific target COD for the project, it expects it to commission approximately 20 months after construction begins. Shizen Energy started planning the project in 2013, albeit at a slightly different location. It then decided to move a part of, and ultimately the entire project to the former farmland.
METI data shows that the project was FIT-certified in FY2013 as two separate 14.7MWAC/17.62MWDC power plants. The tariff for 10kW+ solar assets at the time was 36 yen per kWh.
The project is not required to go through environmental impact assessment at the national level. However, it is required to undergo the process under the Iwate Prefecture Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance, which the company initiated in mid-2023. The draft impact report follows methodology submitted in August 2023, which kicked off the environmental impact assessment process.