BIOMASS FACILITY FOCUS

JAPAN is one of the world’s most forward-thinking countries around renewable energy and, in particular, the use of biofuels.

The nation has set itself stringent climate targets, intending to reach carbon neutrality by 2050 and to cut greenhouse gas emissions from 2013 levels by 60 percent before 2035.

To achieve these lofty goals, Japan put in place a series of incentives to accelerate growth in its biomass energy sector and companies invested heavily in biomass energy production.

Introduced in 2012, Japan’s generous Feed-in-Tariff (FIT) scheme has been the biggest driver of its biomass boom. The scheme ensures that power utilities buy electricity from certified biomass plants at a fixed price for 20 years.

Japan has also introduced a market incentive of paying green energy producers a bonus on top of their market-rate electricity sales – administered through its Feed-in Premium (FIP) Scheme announced in 2022.

In addition, the country launched a US$1.34 billion clean energy subsidy program to fund up to 50 percent of capital costs for companies building biomass facilities with fully decarbonised electricity.

As a result of these three incentives, Japan has built more than 580 dedicated biomass power plants since 2012.

In the first of a series of articles focusing on Japan’s biomass energy industry, we spotlight three of the country’s most modern biomass power plants.

Credit / Source: Toyota Tsusho Corporation - Yatsushiro Biomass Power Plant entered commerical opearoins in 2024 to help Japan reach its stringent decarbonizatoin and carbon neutrality milestones.

On the western plains of Japan’s southernmost main island Kyushu resides Yatsushiro Biomass Power Plant – an impressive energy installation capable of powering 150,000 local households.

The large, modern 75MW generating station stands just short of the island’s shoreline. It was built to contribute to Japan’s impending carbon neutrality targets, and to further the country’s aims of becoming a sustainable society built on circular economies.

Fuelled primarily with unused wood from the Kumamoto Prefecture in which the generating station is located and with imported biofuel pellets from traceable sources, the power plant generates 480 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually.

Yatsushiro Biomass Power Plant began commercial operations in June, 2024 and is a joint venture between Kumamoto Forest Generation, LLC, Toyota Tsusho Group company Ene-Vision Co., Ltd., Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc., and Toho Gas Co., Ltd. 

Credit / Source: Renova Inc. - Omaezakikou Biomass Power Plant is one of Japan's most recent additions to its biomass energy infrastructure and is fuelled, in part, by imported biofuel pellets.

Fuelled by imported biofuel pellets and palm kernel shells, Japan’s Omaezakikou Biomass Power Plant is one of the country’s most modern renewable energy installations.

Located in the Port of Omaezaki at the mouth of Suruga Bay on Japan’s largest main island, Honshu, the 75MW generating station supplies up to 180,000 homes with energy. The port and harbor facilities are geared as a key arrival point for fuel. 

The facility commenced operations in January 2025 and was constructed to revitalize the economies of nearby coastal cities Omaezaki and Makinohara, in Japan’s Shizuoka Prefecture.

Developed and owned by Japan-based Renova Inc., the power plant added to its impressive suite of biomass provisions, including Kanda Biomass Power Plant and Morinomiyako Biomass Power Plant. Renova is a renewable energy company focused on biomass, solar, wind and geothermal energy production. 

Credit / Source: Sumitomo Corporation Group - Sakata Biomass Power Plant buys 100,000 tons of biofuel pellets from Canada evey year so it can provide heat and light to more than 100,000 Japanese homes.

On the coast in the northwest corner of Japan’s main island Honshu stands Sakata Biomass Power Plant – one of the largest in the country’s Yamagata Prefecture.

The 50MW energy facility is fed with 100,000 tons of imported biofuel pellets from Canada and 160,000 tons of locally-sourced wood chips annually. It produces enough electricity to supply approximately 100,000 local households with energy.

Located in Sakata Rinkai Industrial Park facing Sakata North Port, the plant was built by Summit Sakata Power Corporation on behalf of Summit Energy Corporation, a Sumitomo Corporation Group company. It commenced operations in 2018.

The facility receives pellets from Canada every two months and has three main buildings: a building for receiving biomass fuel, a boiler building for generating steam, and a turbine building for generating power.