Chairman and President Noboru Ueda of ClassNK has announced the establishment of a new Renewable Energy Department. This new department which began operations on 1 October 2014 will oversee a diverse range of activities related to renewable energy, including audits and certification of new technologies.

While ClassNK has previously provided certification for wind turbines, vast technological advances have made it possible to practically harness the power of alternative energy sources such as wave power, tidal power, and ocean thermal energy conversion. Given the enormous potential of the ocean as a source of energy and the ever-increasing demand for cleaner energy to mitigate climate change, there is a growing need from the industry for high-quality technical services that can support the practical development of new renewable energy technologies.

ClassNK established the Renewable Energy Department to support these efforts and ensure the safe operation of renewable energy facilities offshore. The new department will provide technical and certification services for a wide variety of renewable energy production facilities, ensuring that ClassNK’s high certification standards contribute to their safe development and practical application. Activities previously carried out by the ClassNK Wind Turbine Division will now be carried out by the Renewable Energy Department.

The operations of the Renewable Energy Department will be overseen by Operating Officer H. Takano, previously in charge of ClassNK’s research and development activities as head of the Practical R&D Promotion Division and the Wind Turbine Division.