FY2009

December 22, 2009
Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc.

Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc. has agreed to participate with METAWATER Co., Ltd. (President: Haruo Matsuki; Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo) in a project for the production of fuel from sewage sludge at the Kinuura East Purification Center. This project has been commissioned by Aichi Prefecture.  

While sewage sludge has previously been incinerated at the Kinuura East Purification Center, the new project, the first of its type in the Chubu Region^*1, will transform the sludge into biomass fuel at a facility to be established within the Center. In addition to promoting the recycling of sewage sludge^*2, the new project aims to contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. It is estimated that the project will reduce yearly CO₂ emissions by approximately 8,000 metric tons.

Chubu Electric will form a special-purpose company with METAWATER to conduct the project. For the 20-year period from April 2012 to March 2032, this special-purpose company will operate and maintain the treatment facility, and will buy^*3 and sell the biomass fuel produced by the facility. Chubu Electric intends to use the biomass fuel in mixed firing with coal in its Hekinan Thermal Power Station (located in Hekinan, Aichi Prefecture).

Through its ongoing efforts to protect the global environment, Chubu Electric is attempting to contribute to the realization of sustainable development in the region.  

 

*1 The Chubu Region is made up of the following nine prefectures: Niigata, Toyama, Ishikawa, Fukui, Yamanashi, Nagano, Gifu, Shizuoka, and Aichi.  

*2 The project will convert 33,000 metric tons of sewage sludge into fuel per year, corresponding to approximately one-fifth of the total volume of sewage sludge passing through the Aichi prefecture river basin sewage system in fiscal 2008.  

*3 The biomass fuel manufactured at the facility will be owned by Aichi Prefecture, and therefore must be purchased.  

 

Attachments

• Overview of Sewage Sludge Conversion Project in Kinuura East Purification Center (Aichi Prefecture)

Attachments1

Overview of Sewage Sludge Conversion Project in Kinuura East Purification Center (Aichi Prefecture)

1 Location   

Aichi Prefecture Kinuura East Purification Center (Konan-Machi, Hekinan City, Aichi Prefecture)  

2 Scale of project  

Sludge treatment capacity: 100 t/day × 1 system  

Projected treatment volume: 660,000 t/20 years (33,000 t/year)   

Volume of biomass fuel produced:  Approximately 54,000 t/20 years(approximately 2,700 t/year)

3 Project period   

Facility design and construction: December 2009 - March 2012

Facility operation and maintenance: April 2012 - March 2032 (20 years)

4 Other

Estimated electricity generation using biomass fuel:
Approximately 4.6 million kWh
 (Equivalent to annual power consumption of 1,270 ordinary households)

Estimated reduction in greenhouse gas emissions:
Approximately 8,000 t/year (CO₂ equivalent)  
(Approximately 4,000 t/ year for the Purification Center, and approximately 4,000 t/year for the Hekinan Thermal Power Station)