History and Current Status of Biomass Power Generation in Hita City, Oita Prefecture

History and Current Status of Biomass Power Generation in Hita City, Oita Prefecture

Hita City in Oita Prefecture has been actively promoting the use of renewable energy.
In April 2006, the city put its "Biomass Resource Center" into operation, where organic materials such as food scraps and pig manure are processed through methane fermentation, and the biogas (methane gas) generated is used to generate electricity.
The facility has achieved a power output of 340 kilowatts and an annual power generation output of approximately 1.76 million kilowatt hours.
The entire amount of electricity generated has been sold since October 2013, contributing to the local energy supply.

Furthermore, in November 2013, Green Power Oita Co., Ltd. started operation of a woody biomass power plant.
This power plant is fueled by wood chips made from unused timber from mountain forests, and has an output of 5,700 kilowatts, providing approximately 45 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually.
This contributes to the promotion of the local forestry industry and the creation of employment.
The plant is also working with agriculture, including the cultivation of strawberries using the hot wastewater generated during the power generation process.

However, as we enter the 2020s, these facilities are facing challenges such as aging and increased operating costs.
In particular, the Biomass Resource Recovery Center is facing increasing repair costs due to corrosion and deterioration of its facilities.
In addition, since there is only one processing system, there is a problem that processing is delayed when equipment is repaired.
In response to these issues, moves are underway to consider the integration and renewal of facilities.

On the other hand, woody biomass power plants are required to utilize sustainable forest resources and establish a stable supply system.
We are working with local forestry companies to develop a system for collecting unused timber from the forests, with the aim of achieving sustainable forest regeneration.
We are also researching ways to utilize incinerator ash, a byproduct of power generation, to further explore the potential of the woody biomass power generation business.

These efforts play an important role in creating local employment and as part of our efforts to combat global warming.