Japan's First Commercial Biomass Power Plant Starts Operation

First Energy Service Co. (FESCO) started commercial operation of the Iwakuni Wood Power Plant, its first biomass power plant using wood chips as fuel, on January 1, 2006. This is the first commercial operation in Japan for a biomass power plant with an output of 10,000 kilowatts. Its power generation efficiency is about 29 percent, a high efficiency level for a woody biomass power plant.

The construction of the plant started in October 2004 in Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, and the test operation began in September 2005. The plant has adopted a steam power generation system using a circulating fluidized-bed boiler to maximize the use of biomass energy. Except for the electricity consumed at the plant, the plant can supply the electricity generated through the existing grid system.

It is essential to secure a good supply of fuel to maintain power generation. The plant receives a long-term and stable supply of selected and crushed wood chips through Iimori Mokuzai Co., a logging company and a member of the Japan Wood Recycling Association, with which FESCO has established a business alliance. The annual woody biomass consumption at the plant is expected to be about 90,000 tons.



Posted: 2006/03/24 05:15:04 PM
Japanese version