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米系ヴィーナ、陸上風力参入、再生エネ２２年に計１００万キロワット。

太陽光発電大手のヴィーナ・エナジー（本社シンガポール）は日本で陸上風力発電事業に参入する。年内にも青森県など２カ所で発電所の建設に着手。すでに太陽光では合計出力２９万キロワットの発電所を展開しており、再生可能エネルギー市場の拡大余地が大きいことから電源の多角化に乗り出す。太陽光の案件開発も続け、２０２２年末までに再生エネ発電所を１００万キロワット稼働させる計画だ。
　ヴィーナは米民間ファンドのグローバル・インフラストラクチャー・パートナーズ（ＧＩＰ）の傘下企業。日本には太陽光発電で２０１３年に参入し、稼働済みの発電能力ベースで上位１０社に入るとされる。グループ企業の日本再生可能エネルギー（東京・港）が太陽光発電所の運営を担っている。
　陸上風力発電では、まず青森県と熊本県で発電所の建設に着工する。環境影響評価を終えた両案件では、出力ベースで計４万３５００キロワットに上る。洋上風力の調査も進めており、風力を太陽光に次ぐ事業の柱に育てる。
　一方で、主力の太陽光発電でも新規の案件開発は進める方針だ。１２年に始まった再生エネの固定価格買い取り制度（ＦＩＴ）を追い風に急速に普及した太陽光発電も、現在は価格が下がり市場環境は厳しい。ＦＩＴ開始時に１キロワット時当たり４０円だった買い取り価格は、１９年度は出力５００キロワット以上の場合に入札で決定する仕組みとなっている。
　ヴィーナの強みは事業開発から発電所の施工、稼働後の運営までを一貫して手掛けられ、コスト競争力や顧客満足度を高めやすい点にある。日本事業を統括するホアン・マス・ヴァロー氏は「入札でも十分に利益を出せる」と強調。インドやオーストラリアでも大型プロジェクトの開発実績も持ち、海外のノウハウも持ち込むことで買い取り価格が下がる中でも事業を進められるという。
　ヴィーナはＧＩＰなどの出資を背景とする資金力を生かし、新規の開発に加えて「今後は未稼働案件の取得も進めていく」（ヴァロー氏）方針。日本では、２２年末までに稼働済みの太陽光と風力の発電所の合計出力で１００万キロワットを目指す。建設中の案件も含めると、２００万キロワットまで拡大する計画だ。
　資源エネルギー庁によると、１９年３月末時点のＦＩＴ認定を取得した太陽光発電所（出力２０００キロワット以上）の合計容量は、前年同月比１％増の２４５４万キロワット。ゴルフ場など適地での開発が一巡したことで、大規模太陽光発電所（メガソーラー）の開発は足踏み状態が続く。ただ、長期的には成長余地はあり、ヴィーナは風力発電と合わせて攻勢に出ることにした。（湯前宗太郎氏　執筆)
【図・写真】施工から運営まで一貫して手掛ける強みを生かす（福島県二本松市のメガソーラー）

US-associated Vena making its entry into the onshore wind power market, aiming to achieve a total renewable energy output of 1 million kilowatts in 2022

Solar power giant Vena Energy (headquartered in Singapore) is making its entry into the onshore wind power generation market in Japan. Its power plant construction is scheduled to start within this year at two locations including Aomori Prefecture. The company already has solar power plants with a total output of 290,000 kilowatts, and since there is a large room for the renewable energy market to further expand, it is beginning to diversify its power sources. The company will continue to develop solar projects as well and plans to have 1 million kilowatts worth of renewable power plants in operation by the end of 2022.
　Vena is a member of Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), a US private fund. The company entered the Japanese solar power generation market in 2013 and is said to be among the top 10 companies in terms of power generation capacity already in operation. A group company Nippon Renewable Energy (Minato-ku, Tokyo) is in charge of the operation of solar power plants.
　For onshore wind power generation, it will start construction of power plants in Aomori and Kumamoto Prefectures first. Environmental impact assessment has been completed for these projects, and the two will generate 43,500 kilowatts in total on an output basis. The company is also proceeding with its studies of offshore wind power, aiming to develop wind power to become the second business pillar next to solar power.
　In the meantime, the company also intends to continue to develop new projects in the solar sector, which is its core business. Solar power generation has enjoyed a rapid growth driven by the renewable energy feed-in-tariff scheme (FIT) started in 2012 but is now facing severe market conditions with lower prices. When the FIT was started, the purchase price was 40 yen per kilowatt-hour, but in 2019 it is subject to the auction scheme if the output is 500 kilowatts or more.
　Vena’s strength is that it can handle the whole process from project development, power plant construction, to operation after the plant starts to operate, which makes it easier for the company to increase cost competitiveness and customer satisfaction. Mr. Juan Mas Valor, who oversees the business in Japan, has emphasized that “it is possible to generate sufficient profits even under the auction scheme.” The company says it has experiences of large-scale project development in countries such as India and Australia, and by bringing in overseas know-how, it will be able to continue its business even with the falling purchase prices.
　Vena is planning to “acquire Mikado projects as well going forward” (Mr. Valor) in addition to engaging in the development of new projects, by leveraging its financial power backed by GIP and other investments. In Japan, it is aiming for a total output of 1 million kilowatts in operation by the end of 2022, for solar and wind power combined. Including projects under construction, the company plans to expand to 2 million kilowatts.
　According to the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, the total capacity of FIT-certified solar power plants (with an output of 2,000 kilowatts or more) as of the end of March 2019 is 24.54 million kilowatts, up 1% from the same month in the previous year. With developments in the most suitable locations such as golf courses mostly finished, the development of large-scale solar power plants (mega-solar) is continuously at a standstill. However, there still is room for growth in the long run, and Vena has decided to go on the offensive together with wind power generation. (Sotaro Yumae)
[Illustration/Photograph] Making use of its strength in being able to handle the whole process from construction to operation (Mega-solar in Nihonmatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture)