Japan, geothermal interest conflicts

Alexander Richter 11 Feb 2009

As reported in The Guardian over the weekend, the new quest for geothermal development in Japan isn’t seen positively by everyone.

With the new geothermal development proposed in Japan by the big utilities, (see previous blog note “Japan geothermal projects pick up”) not everyone is happy and it seems like people are of the opinion that tapping into geothermal reservoirs might threaten “their inalienable right to soak in the restorative waters of a natural spa.” While developers, based on the article, “insist that power plants and Japan’s thousands of spas – or onsen – can happily coexist …  “the 7,400 people of Kusatsu, more than 90% of whom depend on the tourist trade for their living, are not convinced. The fear that energy development will rob the town of its precious supply of hot, mineral-rich water has propelled them to the forefront of the anti-geothermal movement.”

Scientists like Yuzuru Ashida of Kyoto University says that “In Japan, the steam used in geothermal power generation is turned to water and returned underground”, and that “there is no scientific proof that geothermal power generation negatively impacts hot springs.”

Source: The Guardian