Japanese Wind Farm Restarts After Turbine Overhaul, Cutting Machines by Three-Quarters

A wind farm in Iwate Prefecture that went dark three years ago has resumed commercial operations after a full rebuild that slashed the number of turbines from 43 to 11 while keeping total capacity unchanged.

Eurus Energy Holdings announced March 2 that the Eurus Kamaishi Wind Farm restarted operations March 1, 2026, following reconstruction work that began in August 2023. The facility, spread across Kamaishi City, Tono City and Otsuchi Town, maintains its previous capacity of 42.9 megawatts.

The rebuild replaced aging 1.0-megawatt turbines made by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries with eleven larger 4.2-megawatt units manufactured by Vestas Wind Systems A/S of Denmark. The consolidation is expected to increase power output and reduce maintenance costs compared to the original configuration, which had operated for nearly 20 years before being shut down in March 2023.

The revamped facility is projected to generate enough electricity to power roughly 24,000 average households annually and cut carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 40,000 metric tons per year, calculated against the fiscal year 2024 emission factor for Tohoku Electric Power Co.

All electricity generated will be sold to Tohoku Electric Power Network Co.

Construction was handled by the Shimizu-Kinden Specified Construction Joint Venture. Eurus Energy said the project is part of its broader effort to expand wind power capacity and support Japan's transition to clean energy.