A consortium comprising four South Korean firms said Friday that it has signed a preliminary deal to build a solar farm in Japan.

Under the deal, STX Solar Energy Co. and the Korea South-East Power Co., a unit of the state-run Korea Electric Power Corp., and two other South Korean firms will construct and operate the solar farm in Sendai with a capacity of 45MW, according to the consortium.

Sendai in northeastern Japan is one of the areas that was hit hard by the unprecedented quake in March 2011.

The construction will begin during the first half of next year, and the solar farm will be able to generate 660,000 MWh annually, which could meet energy demand from some 19,000 households.

Japan is accelerating its move to diversify energy resources after the 2011 massive earthquake shut down some of its nuclear reactors, which has forced the Japanese government to phase out nuclear power generation in the coming decades amid rising concerns over nuclear safety.

The neighboring country is growingly dependent on renewable sources such as solar and wind to reduce costs and greenhouse gas emissions. (Yonhap News)