Environment Ministry Studying Wind Turbine Installation in National Parks

Japan's Ministry of the Environment established an advisory panel on August 1, 2003 to discuss the issue of installation of wind power plants in national and quasi-national parks. The panel will come up with a set of standards to allow wind power generation by the end of this fiscal year.

Many sites are suitable for wind power generation in national and quasi-national parks. There have already been proposals asking for relaxation of the standards of the Natural Parks Law to install wind turbines.

Currently, the use of "special zones" within national parks is strictly regulated by the Law, and the construction of any structure requires permission from the Minister of the Environment. So far, wind turbines allowed in the national and quasi-national parks have been limited to research purposes or private power generation.

In 2002, there were 576 turbines in operation across the country, with the capacity of 463,000 kilowatts. The government has set a target to generate 3 million kilowatts from wind power by 2010 in the Guidelines for Measures to Prevent Global Warming. While there are voices that call for the installation of wind turbines in wind-rich natural parks, other groups including nature conservation groups are concerned about the adverse effects on migratory birds.




Posted: 2003/09/27 11:51:50 AM
Japanese version