Shizen Energy and Smfl Mirai Partners have jointly acquired energy company Mizuta Koichi from France’s Ciel & Terre, along with its portfolio of twelve floating solar assets located across Japan. 

Image: Shizen Energy/Smfl Mirai Partners         

Japanese developer Shizen Energy and real estate and energy platform Smfl Mirai Partners have acquired Mizuta Koichi Co for an undisclosed sum.

Formerly owned by French floating solar specialists Ciel & Terre, Mizuta Koichi holds a portfolio of 12 operational floating solar arrays across Japan totallng 18.6 MW.

The solar plants are installed on agricultural reserves. Half are located in the Shiokuk region, on the smallest of Japan’s four main islands. The rest are located across the Kansai, Chugoku and Chubu regions on Japan’s largest island, Honshu.

A statement from Smfl Mirai Partners and Shizen Energy says they plan to expand the floating solar power generation business. They say there are 150,000 reservoirs across Japan that are considered promising locations for solar installations, citing a NEDO Renewable Energy White Paper which estimated the potential for floating solar power generation facilities in Japan at 39 GW.

At the end of September 2024, Smfl Mirai Partners held a solar power plant portfolio with a total capacity of 864 MW.

Shizen Energy’s portfolio of renewable energy projects totals more than 1 GW in Japan, while it is also developing projects in ten countries and regions overseas.

Japan recently held its 22nd solar auction, allocating 56.4 MW of new solar capacity.

DECEMBER 10, 2024 PATRICK JOWETT