The country's biomass consumption has also reportedly risen. According to ministry of economy, trade and industry data, in the period of January-November 2014, the consumption rose by 6.7% to 2 million tons compared with the same period of 2013.
Some of the biomass plants already operating include - Green Hatsuden Aizu, Green Hatsuden Ooita, Nagano Forest Resources Utilization Co-op., Woody Kawai, Nakagawa Biomass and Miye Enewood.
Meanwhile Japanese steelmaker Nippon Steel and Sumitomo Metal (NSSMC) has begun full operations at a 330MW on-site unit co-fired by wood chips and coal at its Oita steelworks in southern Oita prefecture. The company targets to increase wood-chip consumption to 48,000 t/yr from just 7,000 t/yr by June, through the upgrade of a 149MW unit, co-fired with coal, at its Kamaishi works in northern Iwate prefecture.
In another development, Baker and McKenzie (Gaikokuho Joint Enterprise) is advising Renova and Kuni Umi Asset Management Co. on a woody biomass power plant investment. With a generation capacity of 20MW in Mukaihama, Akita city, the plant will be the largest power generation facility of its kind, that will use woody biomass as fuel.
