Event

ERE Group employees participated in the Dondoyaki* ritual in the Nishikanagoe district near to our JRE Oita Beppuwan Wind Farm. It was a heartwarming event for our employees, who were treated to warm hot pot and mayudama (round rice dumplings skewered on tree twigs and grilled) by local residents.

ERE will continue to build relationships of trust with local residents as it strives to bring about a sustainable society.

* Dondoyaki is an annual event in the local area; residents bring along old New Year’s decorations and good luck charms, which are ritually burned to pray for good health in the new year.

ERE serves as the lead partner in the joint-venture company Happo Noshiro Offshore Wind, which collaborated with Akita University of Art to hold a workshop to repaint the drawing wall of the PROJECT KOBUNDO free-activity space provided for high school students.

PROJECT KOBUNDO is an experimental study with the objective of creating a space for high school students to gather at the former Kobundo, which had been well-known as the town bookstore of Noshiro in Akita Prefecture. This study was launched as part of developmental research on the Noshiro Town Resource Reutilization Program, which aims to make use of local resources such as abandoned stores, homes, and other spaces in Noshiro, which are increasing.

Through the project, a wall was provided in Kobundo for high school students to draw whatever pictures they wanted, but this wall had become full of drawings. During the workshop, therefore, participants repainted the wall with white paint. ERE invited Norikazu Minato of the joint-venture company Noshiro Yamorisha as a guest instructor on the days of the workshop, and around 10 local residents including high school students participated.

ERE will continue to value its links with local communities and work toward a sustainable society.

An ERE executive gave a presentation at the global summit held in Barcelona, Spain by the WFO (World Forum Offshore Wind), the industry association for the offshore wind sector. During the presentation, the executive described Japan’s offshore wind tendering system, the results of the Japanese government’s offshore wind auctions up to Round 3, aspects of the system changed or improved, and remaining issues to be addressed.

This summit was held immediately after the start of the new government administration in the US and a high degree of interest and expectation regarding the Japanese market was evident among the countries participating.

ERE will continue to embrace a global perspective as it works proactively to develop Japan’s offshore wind market.

ERE’s employees participated as volunteers in the 4th Shigoto--i Noshiro Day, which was a work-experience event for children held in the city of Noshiro in Akita Prefecture.

During the event, children experienced various occupations, then used the currency they had earned (known as “to--i”) for fun activities such as shopping. The work experience took place in a pretend town inhabited entirely by children with the objective of cultivating understanding of how society works, as well as sociability and cooperation. Our employees were able to watch the children working diligently on the day of the event, making it a valuable experience for them, as well as for the children.

Aiming to help forge a sustainable society, ERE values activities that enable it to stand side-by-side with local communities. We will continue to participate actively in a variety of activities as we endeavor to help revitalize such communities in Akita Prefecture and elsewhere.

The website of the Shigoto--i Noshiro Day Executive Committee can be accessed via the following URL (in Japanese): https://noshiro.shigoto--i.com/

ERE employees participated as volunteers for the Nakamachi Chuwakai Shopping District at the 38th Sakata Nihonkai Codfish Festival organized by the Sakata Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Yamagata Prefecture. This event is held annually as a winter tradition in the city of Sakata featuring dongara jiru (cod soup), a local specialty of Yamagata Prefecture. A miso-based soup made with rich and flavorful winter cod, dongara jiru is extremely popular.

Our employees helped to sell the dongara jiru, providing a warm bowl of soup to many people. With good weather on the day of the festival, more than 4,000 people took part, and the dongara jiru was a crowd-pleaser. It was a valuable opportunity for our employees, who were able to personally experience the community’s culture and vitality together with Sakata’s residents.

ERE will continue participating actively in initiatives to help revitalize local communities, standing side-by-side with local residents.

ERE held a presentation ceremony in the town of Fukuchi, Fukuoka Prefecture, which was attended by Fukuchi’s mayor, deputy mayor, education superintendent, and the head of the town’s school education section, as well as the chairperson of the town council.

The mayor commented that he wanted to earmark the corporate hometown tax donations for operation of sports facilities so that the funds could be utilized as part of an initiative to contribute to the local community by communicating the town’s appeal through sport. The education superintendent remarked that the donated notebooks would help to expand the learning of Fukuchi’s schoolchildren and he intended to ensure that the notebooks were treated with care.

In the past, Fukuchi had a thriving history due to its coalmine, but it is now in the process of transitioning to become a renewable energy-oriented town. ERE is planning multiple solar power plants in Fukuchi, working together with the local residents to create a sustainable society.

ERE will continue to build relationships of trust with local residents as it strives to revitalize local communities through renewable energy.

An opening reception was held to commemorate the establishment of an office for one of our group companies in Isumi City, Chiba Prefecture.

The event took place in a traditional Japanese residence, over a century old, which now serves as the main building of the new office. Invitations were extended to local individuals who regularly support the company's endeavors, including representatives from the local Fisheries Cooperative, Shopping District Association, and Chamber of Commerce and Industry, with a total of approximately 80 guests in attendance.

The reception began with an address by Managing Executive Officer Doi, followed by a video presentation showcasing various events in which the company has participated in the region, including the Ohara Hadaka Festival. Historical photographs depicting the region's rich heritage were on display in the office, prompting many guests to share nostalgic memories.

Furthermore, as part of an initiative to promote cooperation between regions where the company operates, dishes prepared with local Isumi ingredients were served, alongside choice sake and fresh foods from Akita and Yamagata Prefectures, all of which were favorably received by the attendees.

This reception afforded a valuable occasion to broadly share information regarding the company's various regional initiatives and ongoing activities with the community.

The company remains committed to proactively engaging in local activities while deeply valuing the relationships and interactions with members of the community.

Left: The Isumi Office; Right: The reception in the main building

ENEOS Renewable Energy (ERE) staff took part in a Winter Recreation Tournament held at Mise Elementary School in Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture, a community that is home to the JRE Tsuruoka Hachimoriyama Wind Farm.

The event brought together people of all ages, from schoolchildren to adults, who competed in teams representing Mise Districts 1 through 4. For ERE employees, it was a great chance to connect with local residents in a fun setting.

ERE looks forward to strengthening its community ties through continued participation in local events.

ENEOS Renewable Energy (ERE) participated in a Workshop on Rebuilding the Goshonodai Area hosted by the town of Happo in Akita Prefecture.

The workshop was held in response to the launch of the Goshonodai Area Redevelopment Plan, a regional initiative aimed at revitalizing local industries and stimulating community development by positioning the Goshonodai area as a hub for regional tourism.

During the session, participants exchanged opinions with local residents on how to redevelop the Goshonodai area—located near Akita-Shirakami Station on the JR Gono Line—into a new kind of regional center where everyday life and tourism can thrive side by side.

The ERE Group remains committed to working in close partnership with local communities and contributing to the ongoing development of regional society.

A Shinto ritual known as anzen kigan-sai—a ceremonial offering of prayers for safety—was held in conjunction with the groundbreaking for the repowering of the JRE Sakata Wind Farm, a project currently underway in Sakata City, Yamagata Prefecture. Originally built and operated by another company in 2004, the wind power facility was transferred to ENEOS Renewable Energy (ERE) in 2014. Generation using the existing equipment concluded in 2023, after which the old turbines were dismantled, and construction has now begun on new wind power facilities. By replacing aging infrastructure with larger, more advanced turbines, the project aims to significantly improve the efficiency and scale of wind power generation. Once complete, the plant's generation capacity is expected to increase from 16,000 kW to 21,000 kW.

At the ceremony, construction personnel and other attendees gathered to pray for steady and safe construction work, with an eye toward bringing the new plant on line in February 2027.

In addition, blades from the decommissioned turbines have been repurposed into signage and planters for the site. These pieces were processed, designed, and painted by local businesses in Sakata City. This creative reuse of these blades represents a distinctive feature of the repowering project, and the repurposed blades are expected to become recognizable symbols that resonate with the local community.

ERE will continue to work alongside local communities through renewable energy projects in pursuit of a sustainable, decarbonized society.

ENEOS Renewable Energy (ERE), together with Univel Inc. and Japan Airlines Co., Ltd., held Campus Everywhere Fieldwork Vol. 3 @ Miyazaki: Encountering the Future in Morotsuka (hereinafter “CEFW”). The event took place in Morotsuka Village, Miyazaki Prefecture, which is home to ERE’s Nakakyushu Onitayama Wind Farm and Nakakyushu Onitayama 2 Wind Farm.

CEFW is an initiative launched by Univel Inc. to provide university students with opportunities to explore and expand their individual potential through learning experiences in diverse real-world settings.

For the event, 11 university students from across Japan visited Morotsuka Village along with various university faculty members, including Associate Professor Yu Tsuchiya from the University of Miyazaki’s Faculty of Regional Innovation. The program featured a talk and workshop led by Yusuke Mori, Representative Director of the Hachihachi Association, as well as a tour of Morotsuka Village.

The two-day exchange with local residents and municipal staff also offered ERE employees a meaningful opportunity to engage with the values and aspirations of individuals actively contributing to community life in Morotsuka.

ERE remains committed to working in partnership with local communities and supporting educational initiatives for the next generation.