Activity

　On January 21, 2020, six companies, including Japan Steel Works M&E, Inc., Kuribayashi & Co., Ltd. , and DENZAI Holdings Inc., and the city of Muroran, formed a council to make the Port of Muroran a base for offshore wind power plants, with a focus on local companies that hope to use offshore wind power to revitalize Muroran's industries.
　The first step is to have the Port of Muroran selected by the Japanese government as a base port for the assembly and shipment of offshore wind turbine components.

　Our company, Mitsubishi Steel Mfg. Co., Ltd., agrees with the activities of MOPA and joined the association in February 2021 as the 17th member.

　Up to now, we have been holding study meetings and exchanging information on offshore wind-related projects among member companies, and have been introducing the activities of MOPA and the advantages of the Port of Muroran on our website, at exhibitions, and in various lectures.
　As a result of these efforts, MOPA has become a very large council with 41 organizations, including 21 regular members and 20 supporting members.

　I would like to introduce myself a little bit before assuming the office of President.　Muroran Works, Mitsubishi Steel Muroran Inc., a member of the Mitsubishi Steel Group, was established in Muroran in 1992 and will celebrate its 30th anniversary next year. Muroran is my second hometown as well.
　In October this year, Mitsubishi Steel established a new Sustainability Committee, as well as a Carbon Neutral Committee and an ESG Subcommittee as subordinate organizations, and announced on November 17 that it is actively working toward the realization of a decarbonized society. In this context, the activities of the Muroran Council for the Creation of a Decarbonized Society and MOPA, which are led by Muroran City, were judged to be important and positioned as pillars.
　In the wind power generation business, Mitsubishi Nagasaki Machinery Mfg. Co., Ltd., one of our group companies, has participated in a project in the Goto Islands, and we have a lot of experience in this field, so we think we can make use of that experience in MOPA.

　After joining MOPA, in March and September of this year, I attended the Wind Power Generation Exhibition held at Tokyo Big Sight, where President Uemura's speech attracted many people, and I was surprised at the high level of interest in the industry. At the same time, I was able to understand that many people sympathized with MOPA's efforts to make the Port of Muroran a base port.
　In addition, from November 23 to 25, we participated in the Electric City 2021 held in Copenhagen, Denmark, where we had a booth with Denzai and MOPA, and introduced the advantages of Muroran as a base for offshore wind projects.

　In addition to the above, there have been a number of developments related to offshore wind power, such as the recent construction of a plant by PENTA-OCEAN CONSTRUCTION CO., LTD., a member of MOPA, and Taisei Corporation's partnership with Muroran City.
　In the future, the Chairman of MOPA will continue to listen to the opinions of its members and work with the Muroran City Council for the Creation of a Carbon Free Society in order to be selected as a base port.

　Last but not least, I would like to return the favor by helping to revitalize the industry in Muroran City through MOPA, so that we can promote employment in Muroran City through the offshore wind power business. In other words, I would like to reiterate that I aim to realize the industrial revitalization of Muroran City.

November 29, 2021
Chairman, Sekine Hiroshi