Japan Interconnector and Frontier Power apply for Hokkaido 2 GW HVDC project

On December 23, 2024 Japan Interconnector Inc. and its JV partner Frontier Power Ltd. submitted a pre-qualification expression of interest to OCCTO, Japan’s grid regulator, to participate in the bidding for the Hokkaido-Honshu (Japan Sea route) 2 GW HVDC 800km submarine power cable project. The pre-qualification is now closed, and today OCCTO announced the participating companies. Asides from Japan Interconnector and Frontier Power, only one other consortium has participated in the pre-qualification. In January 2025, the pre-qualification results will be announced, after which final bids will be due on December 26, 2025. Only pre-qualified companies may participate in the bidding. This is the first long distance subsea power cable in Japan and one of the biggest infrastructure projects in the country in recent years. In public documents, OCCTO have estimated the project cost at up to 1.8 trillion Japanese yen, which is equivalent to around US$ 12 billion.

Further details are available on OCCTO’s website here.