Power Generation Tests with Wood Biomass

Shikoku Electric Power Co. in western Japan has conducted tests to generate electricity by burning coal mixed with waste wood chips, or wood biomass (which can be considered to be renewable biological resources), at its Saijo Power Plant. This is the first attempt of its kind at an electric utility thermal power plant in Japan.

The power company has been pursuing studies on utilizing wood biomass as a fuel for power generation. The company has carried out the tests at the Saijo Power Plant, a coal-fired power plant, to demonstrate the electric power generation through combustion of coal mixed with up to three percent wood biomass.

The tests are intended to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by cutting fossil fuel consumption, as well as to make good use of bark and other wood by-products generated in the wood manufacturing process.

Given the amount of waste wood resources produced in the area surrounding the Saijo plant, 13,000 tonnes of wood biomass are available annually. Using this amount of biomass as fuel for generating electricity will result in cutting the use of coal by 5,000 tonnes, leading to the reduction of 12,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions a year.

Shikoku Electric Power aims to put this system into full-scale operation in Fiscal Year 2005.



Posted: 2003/08/14 10:37:58 AM
Japanese version