Press Release

Press Release

Chubu Electric Power's commencement of a project to convert sewage sludge into fuel

April 02, 2012
Chubu Electric Power Co.,Inc.

Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc. has agreed to participate with METAWATER Co., Ltd. (President and Representative Director: Tomoyasu Kida; 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. (Reported on December 22, 2009)

Aichi Prefecture has completed the construction of the sewage-sludge-to-fuel conversion facility in the Kinuura East Purification Center, and commenced converting sewage sludge into fuel from April 01.

Sewage sludge produced by the Kinuura East Purification Center will be carbonized in the fuel creation facility and transformed into biomass fuel, following which it will be used in the Hekinan Thermal Power Station (Hekinan City, Aichi Prefecture). This is the first project of its type in the Chubu Region.*1 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.

On October 28, 2011, Chubu Electric Power established the special-purpose company Aichi Kinuura Bio K.K. in collaboration with METAWATER Co., Ltd. Over the 20-year period from April 2012 to March 2032, this company will be responsible for (1) Operation, maintenance and management of the sewage sludge facility, and (2) Purchase*3 and sale of the carbonized sewage sludge fuel converted by the facility.

The entire volume of the carbonized sewage sludge fuel converted by the project will be accepted by the Hekinan Thermal Power Station, which will conduct mixed combustion of carbonized sewage sludge fuel, woody biomass, and coal.

Looking towards the sustainable development of the Chubu region, Chubu Electric Power will continue to work to expand its application of renewable energies, seeking to realize further reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

 

*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 2010.

*3  The sewage sludge fuel converted at the facility will be owned by Aichi Prefecture, and therefore must be purchased.

 

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