Fukushima to be reborn as $2.7bn wind and solar power hub

Authored by asia.nikkei.com and submitted by mvea
image for Fukushima to be reborn as $2.7bn wind and solar power hub

TOKYO -- Japan's northeastern prefecture of Fukushima, devastated during the 2011 earthquake and nuclear disaster, is looking to transform itself into a renewable energy hub, Nikkei has learned.

A plan is under way to develop 11 solar power plants and 10 wind power plants in the prefecture, on farmlands that cannot be cultivated anymore and mountainous areas from where population outflows continue.

The total cost is expected to be in the ballpark of 300 billion yen, or $2.75 billion, until the fiscal year ending in March 2024.

The government-owned Development Bank of Japan and private lender Mizuho Bank are among a group of financiers that have prepared a line of credit to support part of the construction cost.

The power generation available is estimated to be about 600 megawatts, or equivalent to two-thirds of a nuclear power plant. The produced electricity will be sent to the Tokyo metropolitan area.

The plan also envisions the construction of an 80-km wide grid within Fukushima to connect the generated power with the power transmission network of Tokyo Electric Power Co. That part of the project is expected to cost 29 billion yen.

ObnoxiousCalliope on November 10th, 2019 at 15:09 UTC »

As someone who's working on the cleanup: no they aren't. This is a publicity stunt to distract from the fact that they are running behind on their 10 year goal of retrieving nuclear fuel from the melted down reactors

airtronics on November 10th, 2019 at 11:52 UTC »

20 year project anywhere else in the world. Japan? 2 years at most.

chrisl182 on November 10th, 2019 at 11:26 UTC »

Gonna need more than 21 plants to make a difference. I've got at least 30 plants in my garden and I don't notice a change in my power usage.

Edit: Thanks for the sunflower gold kind person!