JGC Holdings Corporation (Representative Director, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer: Masayuki Sato) and JGC Corporation (Representative Director and President: Shoji Yamada) have announced that they will use their jointly managed corporate venture capital fund (CVC) called the "JGC MIRAI Innovation Fund" to invest in Metro Weather Co., Ltd.（CEO: Junichi Furumoto）, a start-up company formed by Kyoto University which has been working to develop a new business model for a new type of wind turbine based primarily on their study of wind direction and speed.

The Metro Weather system uses near-infrared lasers based on the meteorological measurement and signal processing technologies developed at Kyoto University's Research Institute for a Sustainable Humanosphere which lead to the development in 2015 of the "Doppler Lidar", a measurement device that emits radiation over a 10-km perimeter and captures wind conditions in three dimensions from the reflected light of dust drifting through the atmosphere. By visualizing wind conditions in the sky, we aim to ensure the safety of drone operations and contribute to the realization of an "air mobility society" and "safe and secure urban lifestyles".

Making use of the CVC Fund, the JGC Group plans to invest in domestic and foreign start-ups with innovative technologies and business models that will contribute to building a safe, secure, and sustainable social system. The themes to be targeted for investment are "realizing a carbon neutral economy," "building sustainable and resilient infrastructure," "enhancing lifestyle quality while looking ahead to the 100-year-life society," and "making industries smart."

Through this investment, JGC Corporation will have access to the means of providing highly accurate wind engineering services by combining Metro Weather's technology with the JGC Group's engineering technology and knowledge in various fields. Our goal is to improve plant productivity and safety through the use of wind simulation (wind condition forecasting). In addition, in the offshore wind field, the accuracy of wind conditions forecasting at sites that are being considered as potential construction sites of wind power generation facilities will become greater, and this is expected to lead to the development of more suitable sites for wind power generation. The project is expected to contribute to the development of models for power generation forecasting and site selection.

From now on, JGC Group will invest in start-ups with innovative technologies and business models that are expected to contribute to building a safe, secure, and sustainable social system.

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