On March 29, Japan Petroleum Exploration Co. Ltd. (JAPEX) announced that the initial shipment of 25,000 metric tons of wood pellets, intended to fuel the Ozu Biomass Power Plant, arrived at Nagahama Port on March 25.
JAPEX had previously announced in mid-2022 that it had commenced construction on the Ozu Biomass Power Plant, a 50-megawatt (MW) facility fueled by wood pellets, located in Ozu City, Ehime Prefecture, Japan. At the time of the announcement, JAPEX stated its collaboration with Maeda Corp., Yonden Business Co. Inc., and Shinko Denso Co. for the project’s development. The electricity generated at the plant will be sold to Shikoku Electric Power Transmission & Distribution Co. Inc. (YONDEN T&D) under the feed-in tariff (FIT) system for renewable energy.
In its March 29 update, JAPEX confirmed that the Ozu Biomass Power Plant will commence commissioning in April, with commercial operations slated to start this summer.
JAPEX stated that it is responsible for the wood pellet supply operations for the bioenergy facility and intends to expand its fuel supply to other biomass power plants.
