Japan's largest utility to build its first wind farm

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TEPCO said it received permission from the local governments on Thursday to build 11 wind turbines with total capacity of 18.37 megawatts.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's biggest utility Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) said on Thursday it would build its first wind farm in Shizuoka Prefecture, west of Tokyo, to cut carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

TEPCO said it received permission from the local governments on Thursday to build 11 wind turbines with total capacity of 18.37 megawatts.

The facility, which is scheduled to start commercial operations in October 2011, is projected to reduce 13,000 tonnes of CO2 a year, the company said. It declined to disclose how much it would invest in the project.

TEPCO also said its 60-percent owned joint venture with Toyota Tsusho Corp, called Eurus Energy Holdings Corp, will build another wind farm in the adjacent area, with 10 wind turbines and capacity of 16.7 megawatts. The joint venture wind farm is set to begin operations in 2010, TEPCO said.

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(Reporting by Osamu Tsukimori)