The project between the two companies is based on a feasibility study to jointly design and build floating wind turbines with a capacity of several hundred megawatts using Naval Energies' semi-submersible floater solution off the Japanese coast, Hitachi Zosen said.

The semi-submersible floater, the prototype of which has been tested under constraint and certified by Bureau Veritas, is designed to be competitive, adapted to mass production, easily towable, connectable and dis-connectable, and adaptable to site conditions and local industrial environments.

“Among all floaters developed in the world, we consider that Naval Energies’ semi-submersible floater, which has many advantages, is one of the best on the market. We appreciate that Naval Energies is participating with us in this feasibility study and we hope that Naval Energies and Hitachi Zosen will contribute to the development of an industrial floating wind energy industry in Japan,'' Takashi Fujita, General Manager of Wind Power Business Unit at Hitachi Zosen Corporation, said.

The cooperation agreement was signed during a recent visit of France's President Emmanuel Macron to Japan.

Laurent Schneider Maunoury, President of Naval Energies said: "We are very proud to have been selected by Hitachi Zosen for this study and look forward to continuing our collaboration with the objective of becoming an industrial partner for the design and manufacture of floaters. The environmental conditions in Japan are very favourable for the installation of this technology and we have all the necessary know-how for the local development of this new industrial sector. We hope that this step is the first of a long-lasting and fruitful collaboration between our two companies.”