Japanese group planning small-scale development in Hokkaido and Aomori, Japan
ORIX Corporation announced that it will commence commercial feasibility study on geothermal power generation business in both Hakodate city in Hokkaido prefecture and Kazamaura village, Shimokita county in Aomori prefecture, Japan.
ORIX is currently considering to build small scale geothermal power plants with the capacity of 2,000 kW (2 MW) in both of the aforementioned locations. After obtaining approval from the local community, and with the Geothermal Resource Survey subsidy sponsored by Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC), an independent administrative agency, ORIX will conduct survey to verify commercial feasibility of the business. The survey to be conducted in Hakodate city, Hokkaido is “initial-stage survey”, the first phase in the geothermal power generation survey. The survey to be conducted in Kazamaura village, Shimokita county in Aomori prefecture is “physical exploration”, the second phase in the survey process.
1. Hakodate city, Hokkaido prefecture
- Survey location: Minamikayabe region, Hakodate city, Hokkaido prefecture (in the vicinity of Mt. Nakitsura)
- Survey content: Initial stage survey (study the existence of geothermal resource reserve through surface survey, document investigation, and aerial photo analysis)
- Survey period: June, 2014 to October, 2014 (tentative)
2. Kazamaura village, Shimokita county, Aomori prefecture
- Survey location: the area surrounding Shimofuro hotspring site in Kazamaura village, Shimokita county, Aomori prefecture
- Survey content: Physical exploration (investigate the depth and location of potential underground geothermal resource reserve through magnetic prospecting and gravity prospecting)
- Survey period: June, 2014 to February, 2015 (tentative)
(Note: the preliminary survey has been completed during the period from November 2013 to February 2014, using subsidy from JOGMEC)
ORIX is actively engaged in power generation businesses that utilize solar, biomass and other forms of renewable energy. In the field of geothermal power generation, ORIX currently owns and operates one of the largest private geothermal power generation facilities in Japan with a generation capacity of 1,900 kW (1.9MW) constructed on the site of the Suginoi Hotel (Beppu city, Oita prefecture), a Japanese styled hot spring inn that is one of the business rehabilitation projects owned by the ORIX group. Leveraging operational know-how from its power generation operations and hot spring inns, ORIX aims to develop commercially viable geothermal power generation businesses in multiple locations throughout Japan which in turn contribute to regional development.
Source: 4-Traders Website
