Idemitsu Kosan starts operation of 5 MW Takigami geothermal plant, Japan
Idemitsu Kosan has announced the start of operation of its 5 MW Takigami geothermal power plant, a binary-cycle geothermal plant provided by Fuji Electric.
Japan-based Idemitsu Kosan Co.,Ltd. announced having started commercial operation of the 5 MW Takigami binary geothermal power plant through its wholly owned subsidiary Idemitsu Oita Geothermal Co., Ltd. (
Since the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011, development of geothermal power has advanced across Japan as a renewable energy source capable of delivering stable supplies of electricity without being affected by weather conditions.
Japan is home to approximately 10% of the world’s geothermal resources, and as a result it has the third highest potential for geothermal power in the world.
Idemitsu entered the geothermal power business in 1979, and since the start of operation of the Takigami Power Station of Kyushu Electric Power Company, Inc. in 1996, the Takigami Office of Idemitsu Oita Geothermal Co., Ltd. has supplied steam used to generate power.
The company announced in 2015 that it plans to utilised unused hot water for power generation and construction for the plant started in March 2016.
Idemitsu plans to contribute to Japan’s energy security and to the realization of a sustainable society by using domestically sourced renewable energy such as geothermal power to increase the supply of electricity.
To the best of our knowledge it is the first binary geothermal power plant supplied by Fuji Electric.
- Name of the plant: Takigami Binary Power Plant
- Location: 3330-152 Oaza Nogami, Kokonoe-machi, Kusu-gun, Oita (on the site of
Production Pad No. 1) - Generation capacity 5,050 kW (output)
- Annual generation 31 million kWh
- Line of business Geothermal power generation business (through use of the feed-in tariff for
electricity from renewable energy sources)
Source: Idemitsu Kosan release, project information via Fuji Electric