Offshore Yurihonjo City in Akita (north and south) is a designated Promotion Zone under Japan’s Renewable Sea Area Act, the law that sets out how sea areas are allocated for offshore wind. The developer selected in Round 1 withdrew in August 2025, so the zone is now waiting for a re-tender. The government opened information submissions for the re-tender on 26 November 2025, and the statutory council revised its consolidated opinion the same month. The timing and terms of the re-tender have not been published (as of October 2026).
This page tracks where the zone stands in the process and what gets decided next, using primary sources. It is updated monthly.
1. Where Yurihonjo Stands (October 2026)
| Status | Promotion Zone (designated 21 July 2020; north and south areas) |
|---|---|
| Foundation | Fixed-bottom |
| Tender round | Awarded in Round 1; developer withdrew in August 2025. Re-tender timing not published |
| Developer | None (awaiting re-tender) |
| EIA | Only scoping documents from the withdrawn developer and Japan Wind Development remain. No new filing for the re-tender |
| Next steps | Publication of the re-tender guidelines, the document that sets the selection rules |
| Round 1 record | Akita Yurihonjo Offshore Wind LLC (Mitsubishi Corporation Offshore Wind, CTECH, Venti Japan, Mitsubishi Corporation); JPY 11.99/kWh; 845MW (65 × 13MW); planned COD December 2030 |
2. From Designation to Re-tender: Timeline
| Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 2020 | Designated as a Promotion Zone (north and south) | METI |
| Dec 2021 | Round 1 awards Akita Yurihonjo Offshore Wind LLC at JPY 11.99/kWh | METI |
| Aug 2025 | Selected developer announces withdrawal | METI |
| 26 Nov 2025 | Government opens information submissions from developers ahead of the re-tender | METI |
| Nov 2025 | 7th statutory council, the forum where national and local government, municipalities and fishers agree how the area is used revises its consolidated opinion | METI |
| Dec 2025 | METI and MLIT publish their analysis of the Round 1 withdrawals | METI, MLIT |
The withdrawal followed a low winning price in 2021 and the rise in material costs and interest rates that came after. See 👉 Why Japan’s Offshore Wind Round 1 Ended in Withdrawal.
3. EIA Status: No New Filing for the Re-tender
Japan’s environmental impact assessment runs in four stages: a primary document, a scoping document, a draft report with survey and prediction results, and a final report. Two scoping documents remain for Yurihonjo, from the withdrawn developer and from Japan Wind Development (2020). No new procedure has been filed for the re-tender.
| Project | Developer | Stage | Notice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yurihonjo offshore wind (provisional) | Akita Yurihonjo Offshore Wind LLC | Scoping document (developer withdrew Aug 2025) | 2022/06 |
| Yurihonjo offshore wind (provisional) | Japan Wind Development | Scoping document | 2020/12 |
4. Site Conditions
A site roughly 15m to 30m deep, suited to fixed-bottom foundations. The Round 1 plan used Akita Port for construction and Honjo Port for operations and maintenance, with a connection to Tohoku Electric Power Network’s Kawabe substation.
For a cost comparison with other zones on the same assumptions, see 👉 Cost Realities of Japan’s Offshore Wind: LCOE and IRR.
What to Watch Next
- When the re-tender guidelines are published. Information submissions opened on the same day as for Noshiro and Choshi, so the three zones are likely to move as a group.
- The conditions in the revised council opinion. Fisheries coexistence and local benefit conditions feed into the re-tender requirements.
- Whether a new EIA filing appears. Any developer preparing for the re-tender would start with a primary document.
Related DeepWind Articles
- Japan’s Offshore Wind Promotion Zones: A Complete Project List
- Why Japan’s Offshore Wind Round 1 Ended in Withdrawal
- Japan’s Offshore Wind Promotion Zone Guideline Revision (March 2026)
Free reportWhich of April’s planning assumptions no longer hold? Our 17-page review of Japan’s offshore wind market, April to September 2026. Free when you subscribe to the Weekly. See what’s inside →