Sumitomo to build 50-MW biomass plant in Japan

Japanese trader Sumitomo Corp (TYO:8316) said Thursday it will construct a 50-MW wood biomass power facility on Honshu island for the electric power retail operations of Tokyo-based subsidiary Summit Energy Corp.

The biomass station will be installed in the Sakata Rinkai Industrial Park, located in Yamagata prefecture’s city of Sakata. It calls for an investment of about JPY 25 billion (USD 208m/EUR 185m).

Sumitomo intends to kick off construction activities at the project site close to the port of Sakata around June 2016 and put the plant on stream in May 2018. The facility will produce electricity from materials such as unused wood and timber off-cuts both from local and overseas sources, according to the press release.

Summit Energy already has a 50-MW biomass power plant in Itoigawa, which has been operational since 2005 and a 75-MW facility in Handa, scheduled to come online in June 2017. Ranking among the largest biomass plants in the Tohoku region, the Sakata project will turn the unit into one of the top biomass companies in Japan, Sumitomo noted.

(JPY 100 = USD 0.834/EUR 0.742)

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