NGI signs cooperation agreement with Japan’s OYO Corporation
The Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI) and Japan’s OYO Corporation signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in Tokyo on 3 June. The agreement sets a framework for joint projects, joint research, and knowledge sharing in offshore wind, and supports NGI’s entry into the fast-growing Japanese market.
From left: Marianne Sivertsen Næss, Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Policy, Norway; Heidi M. Dahl, Regional Director for Asia and the Middle East, Innovation Norway; Noel Boylan, Managing Director, NGI Perth; Tsukasa Endo, Executive Officer, Energy Business Division, OYO Corporation; Per Christer Lund, Energy and Technology Advisor, Innovation Norway. Photo: Innovation Norway. ( Photo: Innovation Norway)
NGI and OYO signed the MOU at the Japan-Norway Ocean Future Forum in Tokyo. It was signed by Noel Boylan, Managing Director of NGI in Perth, and Tsukasa Endo, Executive Officer for the Energy Business Division at OYO Corporation.
Complementary strengths in offshore wind
Founded in 1954, OYO is one of Japan’s leading geoscience and geo-engineering consulting firms, with extensive experience in offshore site investigation for the Japanese offshore wind market. NGI brings more than 50 years in offshore geotechnical engineering. Under the agreement, OYO and NGI will cooperate on Japanese offshore wind projects, combining NGI’s specialist design expertise with OYO’s local knowledge and site investigation capabilities.
The cooperation builds on an established working relationship and spans joint projects, joint research and knowledge sharing. Areas of common interest include site characterisation in Japanese conditions, seismic and geohazard assessment, advanced laboratory testing, and foundation design for offshore wind, including floating wind turbines. The partners also intend to pursue joint research and publications.
“NGI and OYO have already built a strong working relationship, and this MOU formalises a cooperation we’re keen to deepen. By combining OYO’s local knowledge and site investigation capabilities with NGI’s specialist design expertise, we can offer the Japanese offshore wind market something genuinely valuable,” says Noel Boylan, Managing Director at NGI’s office in Perth.
Projects under way, with more planned
The two organisations already have joint projects planned for the coming months and are developing further work together. NGI recently visited OYO’s facilities in Japan, and OYO will soon visit NGI’s office and laboratory in Perth. The agreement may later extend to activities beyond Japan.
“What struck me about OYO is how much we have in common: both organisations' pair deep technical research with practical, applied expertise. That shared character means there’s genuine potential for us to learn from each other, and I expect the exchange of knowledge to benefit both teams as much as the projects we deliver,” Boylan adds.
On its website, OYO describes the agreement as “an important step toward a long-term, strategic relationship between the two organisations.” For NGI, it represents a genuine opportunity to collaborate with an organisation that shares our technical values, while deepening our presence in the Japanese offshore wind market.
