Aizu Electric Power Company Established to Achieve Electricity Self-Sufficiency in Fukushima within Ten Years

Aizu Electric Power Company was established in August 2013 to create a system to meet Fukushima Prefecture's electricity demands with renewable energy alone.

The company plans to implement an electric power generation project in three phases using renewable  energy sources. In the first phase, the company will establish multiple photovoltaic power generation facilities with a combined output of 2.0 to 2.2 megawatts in Fukushima's Aizu region by August 2014. Of these facilities, the largest will be those in Kitakata City with an output of 1 megawatt, and the project cost of 300 million to 350 million yen (about US$3 million to 3.5 million) will be covered by loans from local financial institutions and other organizations, citizens' funds and other investment.

In addition to photovoltaic power generation, Aizu Electric Power Company plans to promote research on micro-hydro power and woody-biomass power, as well as on the use of geothermal energy, wind and snow for power generation, as it hopes to expand its service areas from Aizu to the whole of Fukushima Prefecture and to contribute to the energy supply in the rest of Japan.