A delegation of representatives from the Fukushima Prefecture (Japan) visited the Basque Country, under the guidance of the Basque Trade & Investment Agency, part of the SPRI Group, in order to strengthen relations between the two regions in the field of renewable energies. The visit was also the framework for the signing of a collaboration agreement between the Fukushima Energy Agency and the Basque Energy Cluster, focusing on four energy areas: wind, solar photovoltaic, smart grids and hydrogen.

The earthquake and subsequent tsunami in 2011 caused enormous devastation in this region, and the Japanese government has launched various industrial regeneration and energy diversification programmes with a focus on renewable energies in order to generate a new future for the area.

After a Basque delegation visited Japan in October led by the Minister for Economic Development and Infrastructures of the Basque Government, Arantxa Tapia, the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) identified an interest in finding out about the Basque energy sector on site. This prompted a mission last February of four representatives from the Fukushima Government and its Energy Agency, headed by Katsuzo Niizeki, the leading representative and administrator of the prefecture's industrial promotion policies.

The Deputy Industry Minister, Javier Zarronandia, and the Director of the Fukushima Prefecture, Yosuke Shishido, led the meeting to sign the collaboration agreement. They were joined by the Director of the Basque Trade & Investment Agency, Ainhoa Ondarzabal, the Director of the Basque Energy Agency, Iñigo Ansola, and the Secretary of the Japanese Embassy, Takahiro Yamada. The entities were represented by their respective General Managers, José Ignacio Hormaeche and Yasuhiro Hattori.

The meeting has allowed the potential collaboration to be furthered in each of the four strategic areas covered by the agreement. Specifically, the Basque Country will visit Fukushima in the beginning of July to present its capacity in renewable energy to Japanese companies.