Toshiba Prepares Big Move into Wind Power

Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Toshiba Corporation is in talks with General Electric for a possible collaboration within the wind power industry, according to several local media reports.

The talks between the two firms are reportedly centered on joint production of state-of-the-art nacelles, the equipment which houses the generator and other components of a wind turbine, but there is a possibility of offering services as well as equipment.

Toshiba announced last November its goal of more than tripling the value its renewable energy business to ¥650 billion yen (US$6.1 billion) by March 2031, and moving away from investments in coal-fired plants. Aside from wind power, this is meant to include solar energy, green hydrogen, virtual power plants, and data services.

While the Toshiba-GE alliance would naturally be eyeing Japan’s expanding appetite for wind power projects, particularly in Akita and Chiba prefectures, other Asian nations might also be included within its scope.

Toshiba CEO Nobuaki Kurumatani telegraphed his firm’s intention to move in this direction in a December interview with the Mainichi Shinbun, stating, “We want to make competitive, Japan-made products… We’re also looking into partial collaboration with foreign companies that have experience with the technology.”

Neither Toshiba nor GE have yet confirmed the reported talks.
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