FeatureSustainability

At Chiba Works, our subsidiary Green Power Ichihara Co., Ltd. operates a biomass power generation facility that is fueled mainly by wood chips from construction and demolition waste generated in the Kanto district. With an electricity-generating capacity of 49,900kW and transfer capability at 43,800kW, it is one of the largest biomass power generation facilities in Japan.
The construction and demolition waste as the main fuel of the facility is mostly from demolished wooden buildings. The amount of such waste available is susceptible to economic fluctuations. Accordingly, ensuring a stable fuel supply had been an issue for the facility. In an effort to achieve a diversification of fuels, Green Power Ichihara has added timber from forest thinning and imported palm kernel shells (PKS) to the construction and demolition waste as the main fuel.
Moreover, noting that the volume of production of pears in Chiba Prefecture, where the company is located, has been largest in Japan since 2016, the company began to use pruned branches of pear trees as a fuel by drying them. In a Japan first, it has turned pruned pear tree branches into a biomass fuel. Green Power Ichihara purchases pruned branches collected from pear farmers in Ichikawa City and Funabashi City. This allows the farmer to reduce the cost of disposing of the huge quantity of pruned branches generated every year. We will continue to promote a diversification of fuels that are not susceptible to economic trends, aiming for stable operation.