Japan Petroleum Exploration Co. Ltd. (JAPEX) in August announced that the 50-megawatt (MW) Ozu Biomass Power Plant has commenced commercial operations. The facility is fueled with wood pellets.
JAPEX made the announcement in coordination with Yonden Business Co. Inc. and SHINKO DENSO Co. The newly operational facility, located in Ozu City, Ehime Prefecture, Japan, is owned by by Ozu Biomass Power Corp.
The facility is expected to generate approximately 350 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity annually. Power produced at the plant will be sold to Shikoku Electric Power Transmission & Distribution Co. Inc. under the feed-in tariff (FIT) system for renewable energy.
JAPEX in mid-2022 announced the groundbreaking of Ozu Biomass Power Plant. At that time, the company estimated the facility would require the use of approximately 200,000 metric tons of wood pellets annually. The company in March 2024 announced it had delivered the initial 25,000-metric-ton shipment of wood pellet fuel to the facility.