Woody Biomass Co-firing Test at Hokuriku Electric Power Company's Tsuruga Thermal Power Station - May 2004

Woody Biomass Co-firing Test at Hokuriku Electric Power Company's Tsuruga Thermal Power Station - May 2004
In 2004, Japan was rushing to implement concrete policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as the Kyoto Protocol was about to take effect. Coal-fired power generation, the main source of electricity supply, is at the same time the largest source of CO2 emissions, and the question was how to curb its environmental impact. One answer to this question was to try mixed-burning technology, in which woody biomass is mixed and burned. This was an attempt to reduce emissions and diversify fuels by partially substituting renewable resources.

A 15-day co-firing test was conducted at the Tsuruga Thermal Power Station in Tsuruga City, Fukui Prefecture, during May and June 2004. In the test, a portion of the coal was replaced with wood chips and other materials, and the effect on power generation efficiency and facilities was verified. As a result, it was confirmed that the plant could be operated stably if a certain percentage of coal was replaced, and it was also expected to reduce CO2 emissions. For the electric power industry, which at the time was facing fuel import dependence and price fluctuations, the use of local resources was also a way to avoid risk.

Furthermore, the trial was expected to have the secondary effect of promoting cooperation with the local forestry industry and the use of waste wood, and was linked to a government subsidy program and research support from NEDO, which helped promote the spread of biomass energy. The results at Tsuruga later became a pioneer in the introduction of co-firing at thermal power plants nationwide, and is regarded as a symbolic example of how to balance environmental policy and a stable energy supply. This was a touchstone for the shift away from dependence on coal that Japan was seeking in the mid-2000s.