METI evaluating 21 potential geothermal projects in Japan

According to a recent press piece by Bloomberg, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) is currently considering about 21 geothermal projects as part of its overall renewable energy strategy.

With a drive away from nuclear power, Japan moved towards supporting renewable energy technologies among others through a favourable feed-in-tariff that provides higher electricity prices above the market rates to e.g. geothermal power.

As these incentives for clean energy projects are available regardless of the planned size of the plants, they are encouraging for all kinds of projects and technologies. In a recent briefing in Tokyo, so Bloomberg, an official in charge of geothermal energy at METI reported that there are 21 potential geothermal projects that his ministry is evaluating. Of these projects there are seven that would be using small-sized binary turbines for lower heat resources.

While in the past only large geothermal projects have been built in Japan, mostly in the regions of Hokkaido and Tohoku in the North of Japan and on the southern island of Kyushu, now even small proejcts arew
Before Fukushima and the beginning of the incentive program in July, Japan’s geothermal power development was mainly comprised of large-scale projects concentrated in the Hokkaido and Tohoku regions in northern Japan as well as the southern island of Kyushu, Fukushima said.
“Even very small projects are now worth the cost with the introduction of feed-in tariffs,” he said.
Source: Bloomberg