Three Coops in Tohoku Region Launch Joint Wind Power Project

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Three consumer cooperatives in Japan's Tohoku region--Miyagi Coop, Iwate Coop, and Coop Akita--announced on December 10, 2013, that they will set up a joint venture to launch a wind power generation project in Akita Prefecture.

Tohoku is still on the long road to recovery after suffering tremendous damage in the Great East Japan Earthquake and the subsequent nuclear plant accident in Fukushima. The three coops in the region have been working on their own toward a nuclear fadeout and shift to new, particularly renewable, energy sources. Under their policies and missions, they believe these actions will make a positive contribution to the global environment and society, and pave the way to a more sustainable society. There are, fortunately, many locations in Akita Prefecture with stable wind that are ideal for wind power generation.

With Japan's national energy policy at a turning point, the three coops believe that cooperation among disaster-stricken areas in the operation and supply of wind power generation to communities in Akita Prefecture will help accelerate the regional recovery. In addition to providing power for their coop members, they hope to contribute to the communities that host wind turbines and promote mechanical parts, maintenance work, and other wind power-related businesses.