Tokyo, 18 May – A new report by global energy think tank Ember reveals that offshore wind is the biggest gap to unlock a decarbonised power sector for Japan. Based on current plans, Japan will represent just 4% of the total 150 GW of offshore wind that the G7 announced they will collectively build by 2030.
“Japan is losing the race to decarbonised electricity,” said Ember’s head of data insights, Dave Jones. “There is a huge gap in ambition on offshore wind between Japan and the rest of the G7.”
Japan’s electricity transition is lagging behind the Group of Seven (G7) nations as it has the lowest clean power share of any G7 country (29%), and the highest coal share (33%), Ember’s data analysis shows. As a result, Japan has the most carbon-intensive electricity in the G7.
Japan could achieve up to 90% decarbonised electricity by 2035 with enough deployment of renewables, according to pathways from recent reports such as by the Lawrence Berkeley Lab. However, the scenario is only achievable if Japan could harness the game-changing opportunity of offshore wind and ramp-up its clean power ambitions, Ember finds.
