Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism / To promote technological development of port construction, on the premise of establishing a new system and introducing direct control
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism will establish a new system to solicit proposals for technology development from the private sector on the premise that it will be introduced into directly controlled works in order to promote the development of new technologies that can be utilized in port construction. We envision a scheme that the government will support consistently from technology development to demonstration and introduction to the field. By assuming full-scale introduction, the private sector will be able to make investment in technology development without hesitation. The policy is to materialize the system design within the fiscal year. The operation is scheduled to start in 2023 or later.
The technology developed under the new system will be introduced to the site by revising the design standards and reflecting it in the construction procedure and estimation procedure set by the ordering party.
A person in charge of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism said, "If it is unclear whether it will be used for public works, the private sector cannot make an investment decision" (Technical Planning Division, Port Bureau), and explained that the new system will help alleviate such anxiety. We hope that the government will take the initiative in revitalizing technological development that goes beyond economic rationality, such as decarbonization.
In the examination, the current procedure for introducing new technology will be scrutinized and issues will be identified. The existing framework includes the new technology database "New Technology Information System (NETIS)" established by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. However, he is aware of the problem that "the mechanism for registering technologies that are already on the market does not promote development" (Technology Planning Division, Port Bureau).
Another initiative is the "Port Technology Pilot Project". Based on a proposal from the Regional Development Bureau, a new technology was introduced on a trial basis at a site under direct control. If the effects of labor saving and improvement of construction accuracy can be confirmed, the technical standards will be revised and introduced in earnest. However, he points out the issue, saying that the current situation is "only local efforts" (same as above).
Outsource the examination support work for system construction to the private sector. A publicly-offered proposal to decide the contractor for the "examination work on the new technology introduction promotion system in the port field" is scheduled to be announced within the month, and was announced in advance on the 7th.
