Marubeni Corp. to Build Small Hydro Plants Jointly with Hokuto City

Copyright Hokuto city

Marubeni Corp., a major Japanese trading company, announced on June 8, 2011, that it will construct, in collaboration with the city of Hokuto, three small-scale hydropower plants with total output capacity of 650 kilowatts in Hokuto, Yamanashi Prefecture. These hydropower plants are estimated to produce a total of about 4,600 megawatt-hours of electricity per year, equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of 1,300 households, or 6 percent of all the households in the city. The plants are scheduled to start operating in March 2012.

The three plants will be located along an irrigation channel called Murayama Rokkamura-Seki, in Hokuto City. In Japan, there are only a few cases in which multiple hydropower plants have been built along the same irrigation channel. The company says that constructing multiple plants simultaneously is expected to have some advantages, including a shorter construction period, lower costs, and more efficient maintenance.

Under this project, Mibugawa Electric Power Co., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Marubeni, will be responsible for the construction and operation of the three hydropower plants. Mibugawa will use its expertise in running small-scale hydroelectric power projects to make the project profitable. The city of Hokuto, on the other hand, will support the successful implementation of the project through its policies. The two parties will also launch a joint program to raise public awareness of small hydroelectric generation.

Marubeni to Revitalize Micro-Hydro Power Plant (Related JFS article)
http://www.japanfs.org/en/pages/030239.html

Posted: 2011/10/01 06:00:15 AM