juwi is expanding its international footprint with a new project in Japan. In the province of Fukushima, that still suffers from the catastrophic reactor accident in 2011, juwi is going to construct a 1.5 Megawatt solar power plant. juwi Shizen Energy Inc., a joint venture between German juwi AG and Shizen Energy (Japan), was charged as EPC-Contractor and will realize the power plant turn-key within the next six months. Client and future owner is the Japanese Food Group "Kewpie Corporation".

This project will expand the "Green Factory Center Solar Power Plant" which was completed in January 2015. It is owned by Kewpie, produces about 0.5 megawatts (DC) of power, and is located in Shirakawa City, Fukushima Prefecture. The "Green Factory Center Solar Power Plant" was developed by Shizen Energy Inc. (Shizen Energy hereafter) and juwi Shizen Energy was responsible for the EPC.

"We received the EPC request for this expansion because Kewpie Corporation was happy and satisfied with our work on the original project and also because our company's goal of spreading the use of renewable energy fits well with Kewpie's policy of promoting the introduction of green energy into its facilities", says Stephan Hansen, member of juwi's Executive Board and responsible for International Business.

The facility that will be expanded will use part of the site of a vegetable processing factory owned by Kewpie for what is planned to be a 1.5 megawatt (DC) mega-solar power plant. It is estimated that the expanded solar plant will produce more than 2.2 million kilowatt hours of electricity per year.

This is equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of 700 average households. Construction is scheduled to be completed by March 2017. The electricity generated will be sold to Tohoku Electric Power in accordance with the program for feed-in tariffs for renewable energy.