Construction starts on Waita No. 2 geothermal power plant, Kumamoto, Japan
Waita No. 1 geothermal power plant, Oguni Town, Aso District, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan (source: Furusato Thermal Power)
Carlo Cariaga
22 Mar 2024
Construction has started on the 5-MW Waita No. 2 geothermal power plant by Furusato Thermal Power in Kumamoto, Japan with target COD by March 2026.
Japanese geothermal power developer and operator Furusato Thermal Power has announced the start of the construction for the 4995-kW Waita No.2 Geothermal Power Plant in the town of Oguni in Aso District, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. Commercial operations for Waita No. 2 is planned for March 2026.
Waita No. 2 expands on the existing 1995-kW Waita No. 1 geothermal power plant which started operations in 2015. A special purpose company “Waita No. 2 Geothermal Power Company” was created for this project. Furusato Thermal Power is working closely with the town of Oguni and the local community to ensure the harmonious co-existence of geothermal power generation and community development.
The new geothermal power plant is expected to have an annual output of 35,360 MWh.
In 2020, Furusato Thermal Power started the operations of the 150-kW Waita Binary Power Plant, which utilizes waste heat from Waita No. 1. The binary power plant is operated in collaboration with Baseload Power Japan.
Rebuilding the local community
The area of Waita Onsenkyo in Oguni Town is a well-known mountain hot spring town rich in geothermal resources, with six hot springs with different qualities and steam from hot springs spewing out everywhere. Like many other hot springs areas in Japan, it faces the challenges of depopulation and aging – of its about 7000 people, 50% are elderly. Recognizing this challenge, Furusato Thermal Power aims to be come an instrument for “social redesign” through the rebuilding social systems using geothermal energy and the power of local communities.
Furusato Thermal Power also owns and operates the Sansui Geothermal Power Plant in partnership with Baseload Power Japan. This is a 99-kW binary power plant with an annual power generation capacity of 700 MWh, roughly equivalent to the consumption of 200 households. The Sansui Geothermal Power Plant started operations in 2022. Hot water and condensates from Sansui are used at the local hot spring facilities for bathing, maximizing utilization without having to drill new wells.
Participation by Ricoh
In a separate release, Japanese consumer technology company Ricoh has announced making a partnership investment to the Waita No. 2 geothermal power plant thru financial subsidiary Ricoh Leasing. The company had been providing financing for solar power generation projects, and has branched off into its own solar power generation business, but the Waita No. 2 project represents the company’s first entry into the geothermal market.
The investment is in line with the company’s initiative of promoting sustainability through the spread of renewable energy and solving local problems in local communities, ultimately “creating a clean global environment” – one of the main objectives of Ricoh.
Source: Furusato Power and Ricoh
