Plans for a 400MW PV project on a remote Japanese island have been approved, according to various media reports.

The Ukushima island, which is situated off the coast of the city of Sasebo in Nagasaki Prefecture in southwest Japan, will become home to the ¥100 billion (US$1.1 billion) project which will become one of the country’s largest solar power plants.

Media reports reveal that the project will be constructed by a consortium which includes German PV developer Photovolt Development Partners. Following the approval, construction is now reportedly scheduled to begin in May and complete in 2015/16.

Bloomberg, citing the Nagasaki newspaper, reports that the project is expected to create 150 jobs on the island and will be operational for a period of 20 years. Electricity generated by the facility will be purchased by utility firm Kyushu Electric Power Co and will be fed to the mainland via new undersea transmission lines.

Japan has seen a significant boom in PV investment after launching its feed-in tariff in July 2012. The tariff was slashed as of the1 April but the cut is not expected to affect the growing interest in the market as the tariff still remains relatively high compared with other markets.