Wedoany.com Report-Jan 10, Japan Petroleum Exploration Co. Ltd. (JAPEX) on Jan. 6 announced the Chofu Biomass Power Plant commenced commercial operations on Dec. 30. The 74.95-megawatt (MW) facility is fueled with 100% imported wood pellets.

Chofu Bio-Power LLC (CBP) and its five sponsors, which include JAPEX, TOKYO ENERGY & SYSTEMS INC., MOT Research Institute Ltd., CHOFU SEISAKUSHO CO. LTD., and KAWASAKI KINKAI KISEN KAISHA LTD., celebrated groundbreaking of the facility in mid-2022. Plans for the project were first announced in September 2021.

The plant, located in the Chofuogimachi Industrial Park, Shimonoseki-city, Yamaguchi Prefecture, is expected to generate approximately 520 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity per year. Power produced by the facility will be sold to Chugoku Electric Power Transmission & Distribution Co. Inc. under the Feed-in tariffs scheme (FIT) for renewable energy.