EWII in joint venture with Japanese energy giant
TOWII Renewables is the name of a Japanese-Danish partnership between Danish energy group EWII and the Japanese energy giant Tokyo Gas.
“TOWII Renewables, owned jointly by Tokyo Gas and EWII, will initially develop wind and PV panel farms for customers in the Nordics, and is a strategic partnership designed to enhance the position of Denmark and the Triangle Area on the export market,” says EWII’s CEO, Lars Bonderup Bjørn. The company has a target of developing a total of 1 GW of sustainable energy by 2030.
“Denmark is an acknowledged leader within sustainable energy, and during the negotiations with Tokyo Gas, it became clear that Tokyo Gas and EWII have a common agenda to contribute to global climate protection,” says Lars Bonderup Bjørn.
TOWII Renewables will start in Kolding, employing 8 people including two Japanese nationals who will relocate to Denmark. The company will have EWII’s Danish wind farms in its portfolio from the start, and Tokyo Gas will therefore become the joint owner of those wind turbines.
The newly appointed CEO of the company, Oliver Wolgast, had this to say about this unusual partnership:
“We are delighted that we succeeded in finding common ground with such a strong company as Tokyo Gas – and we’re also delighted that we can combine our skills within sustainable energy with the long experience of Tokyo Gas within international project development for local areas.” Wolgast was Director of Renewables, Trading and Production at EWII until the new company was set up.
Attracting jobs to the Triangle Area
Lars Bonderup Bjørn says that negotiations have been going on with the Japanese for nearly a year to define the parameters of the partnership. Locating the company in the Triangle Area was a cardinal point for EWII:
“The Triangle Area is Denmark’s centre for the development of sustainable energy, and many of the biggest players are here – EnergiNet, Center Denmark, Everfuel and others within the field of green transition. And on the international stage, Denmark is also the leader within this field, and we expect that TOWII Renewables will be an export success for the country.”
The company is expected to grow to 40 employees over time, and once it is established on the Nordics market, will expand to the rest of Europe.
Japanese thoughts
On the Japanese side, expectations are high with regard to the Danish venture:
“We are delighted to get the chance to take part in the development of sustainable energy with EWII, a company that has been active within onshore wind energy for some years. This project will our first within the wind energy market in Europe, and will also represent a major challenge for us. We will focus on developing 1 GW of sustainable energy with EWII, and will contribute to achieving net 0 CO2, as formulated in ‘Compass2030’,” says Takashi Uchida, President & CEO at Tokyo Gas.
Today’s launch of TOWII Renewables marks the end of long negotiations, but has also been part of a process described as a good mix of professionalism and relaxed humour according to Oliver Wolgast:
“Our new Japanese colleagues have visited us several times, and have been taken around Kolding and the surrounding area. The atmosphere has been relaxed but professional all the way. We have a really good match,” he says with a smile.