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Monday, February 27, 2017

Japan: 5 MW Geothermal Plant in Oita Prefecture Will Start Up Soon

Small geothermal plants gaining steam in Japan (Nikkei Asian Review)

Higher power prices, less red tape encourage businesses to tap massive reserves


Japanese companies are building small-scale geothermal power plants that can be completed in half the time needed for larger facilities, thanks to a more generous feed-in tariff that has made such projects more profitable.
  • A joint venture by JFE Engineering, Mitsui Oil Exploration, the government-backed Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corp., and Japan Metals & Chemicals will break ground on a roughly 7 MW geothermal plant in Iwate Prefecture next month. The facility, expected to cost 8.5 billion yen ($75.8 million), is slated to begin operation in 2018.
  • Leasing company Orix will sign an agreement soon to build a 4.4 MW plant on the island of Hachijojima, which has been seeking a partner to replace an aging Tokyo Electric Power Co. Holdings facility. Orix plans to invest about 5 billion yen in the project, aiming to bring the plant online around 2022.
  • Oil company Idemitsu Kosan will start up a 5 MW facility in Oita Prefecture next month.
  • A consortium including Electric Power Development, or J-Power, is working on Japan's first large-scale geothermal plant in 23 years: a roughly 42 MW facility in Akita Prefecture slated to go online in 2019. Other proposals for larger projects remain bogged down in environmental studies or other preparations.