Japan's offshore wind power market, part of the country's goal to be carbon neutral by 2050, is set to grow as the government eyes installing up to 10 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2030, and up to 45 gigawatts by 2040.

Marubeni's 100 billion yen ($768 million) project of two wind farms with 140 megawatt capacity at Akita Port and Noshiro Port in northern Akita prefecture is Japan's first large-scale commercial offshore wind power project.

With its Noshiro Port offshore wind farm operating since late December last year, the launch of the Akita Port farm brings the project to the full-scale operation, Marubeni said.

Power from the two wind farms will be sold to Tohoku Electric Power for 20 years under a power purchase agreement based on the feed-in tariff program.

Marubeni's 12 partners include Obayashi Corp, Tohoku Sustainable & Renewable Energy Co, Cosmo Eco Power Co, Kansai Electric Power Co and Chubu Electric Power Co.

($1 = 130.2900 yen)

(Reporting by Katya Golubkova, Editing by Louise Heavens)