Electric Power Development Co., Ltd. (J-POWER) and Nittetsu Mining Co., Ltd. have started a new company to study geothermal power. The new company is called Shiramizugoe Geothermal Co., Ltd. It is based in Kirishima City, Kagoshima Prefecture in Japan. Nittetsu Mining owns 51 percent and J-POWER owns 49 percent. They plan to use about $139,000 (20 million yen) for the first phase.
The two companies will do new studies in the Shiramizugoe area. They want to see if it is possible to build a geothermal power plant there. If they build it, the plant could produce about 15,000 kilowatts.
Nittetsu Mining has worked in this area before. It got survey wells from the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization. They used these wells to study the area’s underground hot water. The studies found acidic hydrothermal fluid below the ground.
J-POWER has worked on geothermal power since 1975. Its Onikobe Geothermal Power Station already uses acidic hydrothermal fluid. The new project in Kirishima will help J-POWER and Nittetsu Mining learn more about using this type of resource.
Apart from Shiramizugoe, J-POWER has other renewable projects in Japan. These include small hydroelectric plants and older geothermal stations such as the Appi Geothermal Power Station. It has also looked into offshore wind projects in the Sea of Japan and other regions.
J-POWER’s work with Nittetsu Mining could also help test new ways to manage acidic geothermal fluids. This can be useful for similar sites across Japan, where geothermal resources are available but need careful development.
