One of Japan's largest offshore wind farms has started commercial operation in the prefecture of Hokkaido.

Tokyo-based renewable energy company Green Power Investment built the facility in Ishikari Bay, off the coast of western Hokkaido. It has 14 turbines, each of which is 196 meters tall.

The wind farm started commercial operation at the start of the year.

The facility is estimated to be able to provide electricity for up to 83,000 households. The power will be sold to a local utility company. There are also plans to use the electricity to produce hydrogen, a next-generation power source.

The Japanese government has been promoting offshore wind power generation as one of the pillars of renewable energy, which is crucial for decarbonization.

Last year, Japan's largest thermal power producer, Jera, and IT giant NTT jointly acquired Green Power Investment. The acquisition cost about 300 billion yen, or roughly 2.1 billion dollars. It was the most ever paid to buy a Japanese renewable energy firm.

Jera will be primarily responsible for operations.