Renewable Energy Revives Ailing Fukushima Spa

Image by Yauchi Some Rights Reserved.

Tsuchiyu Onsen, a hot spring town in Fukushima prefecture, established a firm called "Genki Up Tsuchiyu" (Re-energizing Tsuchiyu) on October 1, 2012. The firm was established to rebuild and revitalize the ailing spa resort town. After the company receives survey results from the Ministry of the Environment, it will start generating geothermal binary power at its 16th spring source in 2014.

As a result of the earthquake damage caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 and rumors about the dangers of radiation from Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, the town is in danger of losing local economic vitality, with 5 inns having closed down and 1 inn having suspended operations.

The company aims to revitalize the town by developing renewable energy using river water and heat sources that are abundant for Tsuchiyu Onsen. They are also planning to rebuild the community by utilizing small hydroelectricity generation.