Recently acquired by investment fund Global Infrastructure Partners in a record $ 5 billion renewables deal, Equis Energy has switched on 47.5 MW of solar projects in Shichinohe Town, located in Aomori Prefecture, Japan.

The company, which claims to be Asia‐Pacific’s largest renewable energy IPP, has commissioned three solar projects – ‘Shichinohe 1’, ‘Shichinohe 5’ and ‘Shichinohe 7’ – which were developed entirely in‐house by Equis. The plants are expected to generate 104,025 MWh of energy yearly, provide 14,950 households with electricity, and save 67,616 tons of CO2, as well as 98.1 million liters of water.

In Aomori alone, Equis has a collective energy generation capacity of over 170 MW, including 10 operational solar power plants, one of them being the 13.8 MW solar project in Noheji town that began selling power last month, and an additional one currently under construction. The company serves all the projects from its local Operations and Maintenance (O&M) center.

As for its solar footprint on the national level, Equis owns 37 solar projects totalling 0.9 GW, and has a further 1.3 GW in the pipeline.

“Equis Energy is proud to be extending our commitment to Aomori Prefecture, and especially Shichinohe Town, where we now have seven solar projects providing clean, low‐cost renewable energy; local jobs; and CSR programs that support community development,” said Adam Ballin, Equis Board Director.

Earlier this year Equis grabbed headlines after it secured the approval to begin construction on one of the largest solar farms in the world – a 1 GW installation in the Australian state of Queensland, for an estimated investment of up to AU$2 billion (US$1.56 billion) and an option to add storage capacity at a later stage.