Japanese Paper Manufacturer to Construct Boiler Facility for Biomass Power

Oji Holdings, a holding company of Japan's Oji Paper Co., announced on October 1, 2012, plans to install a biomass boiler fueled by unused materials such as forest thinnings from the company's forest and enter the electricity generation business. Commercial operation of the new facility is scheduled to begin in March 2015.

The Oji Group aims to expand its environmental business based on effective use of group-owned natural resources; the planned generation business is one of its core initiatives in this area. With the boiler installation, the company will tap unused forest resources to reduce its use of crude oil while selling surplus electricity to the outside market.

The group intends to expand its electricity generation business using not only biomass fuel but also other renewable energies such as solar, hydro, geothermal, and wind.