Broughton: AMRC Cymru and Japanese firm join forces on Celtic Sea floating wind farms

A Broughton-based advanced manufacturing research centre (AMRC Cymru) is partnering with a major Japanese firm to boost the development of floating offshore wind (FLOW) technology in Wales and across the UK.

The collaboration between AMRC Cymru and Japan Marine United Corporation (JMU), formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), will focus on advancing floating offshore wind farms in the Celtic Sea and beyond.

The joint initiative aims to enhance Welsh supply chains, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and support the UK’s renewable energy targets.

Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning, Rebecca Evans, praised the agreement as a visionary step.

“It recognises the significant capabilities that exist in Wales in sustainable energy solutions for a greener future,” she said. “The MoU also ensures we strengthen ties with our Japanese friends with whom distance has never proved a barrier in research, innovation, and business.”

AMRC Cymru, based near Airbus Broughton and part of the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, is committed to developing Wales’ economy by creating a cost-competitive supply chain for offshore wind power.

Andrew Silcox, research director at AMRC Cymru, expressed enthusiasm for the partnership:

“We are delighted to embark on this partnership with JMU to develop the floating offshore wind technologies that will accelerate the UK’s transition to fossil fuel-free power.

“Our ambition is that the projects with JMU act as a catalyst to create supply chain opportunities for Welsh industry that will transform the industrial landscape, particularly here in south Wales.”

JMU brings expertise from its Fukushima Floating Offshore Wind Farm Demonstration Project and its work on the Green Innovation Fund, Japan’s initiative for achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

Kazuhiro Okawara, JMU’s general manager for offshore and new energy sales, emphasised the potential impact of the partnership:

“We believe that the joint research and development outcomes of this partnership will contribute to the advancement of floating offshore wind in Wales and to the further development of Welsh industry and economy.”

The partnership was endorsed by Kyoichiro Kawakami, Minister (Economy) for the Embassy of Japan in the UK, who attended the MoU signing. He highlighted the enduring economic ties between Wales and Japan, which marked 50 years in 2022.

“Looking ahead to 2025 as a commemorative year for Wales and Japan, I believe this MoU is an important step forward in our mutual journey of cooperation and friendship,” Kawakami said.