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New joint venture planning geothermal development in Hokkaido, Japan

New joint venture planning geothermal development in Hokkaido, Japan View over Hakodate City, Hokkaido, Japan (source: flickr/ shirokazan, creative commons)
Alexander Richter 12 Aug 2022

Mitsubishi Materials Corp. and partners Renova and Daiwa Energy & Infrastructure create joint venture for the development of the Esan geothermal project in Hokkaido, Japan.

Mitsubishi Materials Corporation announced in a release in late June of this year, that RENOVA Co., Ltd. and Daiwa Energy & Infrastructure Co., Ltd.  have established a joint venture as a new business partner.

The company has invested in Hakodate Esan Geothermal. Since its establishment in 2016, Esan Geothermal has been promoting business development with the aim of developing a new geothermal power plant in the Esan area of ??Hakodate City, Hokkaido.

Our company utilizes the abundant experience and high technical capabilities cultivated through the development and management of coal mines and metal mines over many years for hydroelectric and geothermal power generation. Regarding geothermal power generation, since the Onuma Geothermal Power Station (Akita Prefecture) started operation in 1974, Sumikawa Geothermal Power Station (Akita Prefecture, started operation in 1995) and Wasabizawa Geothermal Power Station (Akita Prefecture, started operation in 2019). started) and Appi Geothermal Power Station (Iwate Prefecture, scheduled to start operation in 2024).

We have been working on the “development and promotion of the use of renewable energy such as geothermal energy”, and we will contribute to the success of this project by utilizing our experience and technical capabilities through investment in this project.

Based on our corporate philosophy of “For People, Society and the Earth,” our group aims to contribute to the creation of a decarbonized society. We will work on renewable energy business such as geothermal power generation to realize our vision.

Esan Geothermal has started a survey of geothermal resources for 2022 as follows, with the aim of developing a geothermal power plant in the future.

  • Survey location: Esan area, Hakodate City, Hokkaido
  • Survey content: Large-diameter survey well drilling survey (well drilling and ancillary construction) *
  • Survey period: April 2022 to February 2023 (planned)

*This survey is conducted by the independent administrative agency Oil It has been adopted by the Natural Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) for the 2022 geothermal power generation resource survey project cost subsidy grant project. https://www.jogmec.go.jp/news/bid/content/300377678.pdf

Source: company release