Plan to burn tsunami wreckage in power stations may be flawed

11 July 2011


The Japanese government intends to set up power plants that will burn the wooden wreckage left behind by the March earthquake and tsunami. This is an attempt to solve two problems – debris disposal and power shortages. Power supplies are expected to be constrained this summer, and shortages may continue if a number of nuclear power plants remain offline. However, doubts have been raised about the viablity of the plan, mainly because of concerns about the necessary treatment of wood that has been saturated in seawater.

Five of the new power plants will be constructed in the worst affected areas, including Iwate and Miyagi prefectures. Each facility will generate 10 MW, enough to power 3000 typical households. The disaster is said to have generated 20-30 million tons of rubble, including about 5 million tons of wood that can be used as fuel, according to the government. After all the debris has been cleared, estimated to be in about three years, the facilities will continue to run, fuelled by wood from forest thinnings. About two-thirds of Japan is forested, and the waste is rarely put to any use. In 2009, forest thinning produced eight million tons of wood.

The plants will also supply heat to local homes and industrial parks, with the ministry hoping they will help with the reconstruction drive, cut CO2 emissions and revitalise the forestry industry in quake-hit areas.

Since it was unveiled on 15 June the ministry's Wood Utilisation Division has received a stream of inquiries from energy firms and banks whose clients are keen to enter the biomass power market. A renewable energy bill that prime minister Naoto Kan hopes to pass into law would oblige utility firms to buy biomass-generated power.

Generation costs are expected to be slightly higher than those of running wind and solar power facilities, so the government is setting aside 10 billion yen to subsidise firms that take on the project.

It is uncertain therefore how much can be used, a high proportion of the wreckage having been under seawater for a considerable time. Power generation equipment might be damaged if the wood is not desalinated. Power generators will be reluctant to use this process to remove salt if it proves expensive.

One official at a plant-construction firm is reported as saying that the programme to build five 10 MW plants would take at least two years. Consideration would also have to be given to storage and wood preparation costs.




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