Offshore power plant blueprint unveiled

The Yomiuri Shimbun

The government plans to build an offshore power-generation plant in fiscal 2012 to harness oceanic energy, with commercialization scheduled for as early as fiscal 2016, a government official said Wednesday.

According to a plan laid out by the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry, the plant--a joint venture with the industrial and academic sectors--will use oceanic energy such as wave power and marine currents to generate electricity.

Early testing for the envisioned plant is scheduled for fiscal 2011.

The ministry will seek 1 billion yen in its budget requests for fiscal 2011, the official said, adding that a total of 13 billion yen will be earmarked for the project over the five years to fiscal 2015.

One method of harnessing oceanic power is installing turbines in buoys or on embankments, which generate electricity when turned by waves. Similarly, ocean currents can be used to rotate propellers.

Ocean thermal energy conversion takes advantage of energy generated through the transfer of heat between surface water and cooler deep water.

Unlike solar and wind power, oceanic energy-based power generation is possible at all hours and in any weather conditions. It does not produce greenhouse gases.

Research and development in the field of oceanic energy is increasing in the United States and Britain, but in Japan it has yet to go beyond the level of research at universities.

The challenges of commercializing the offshore plant will include improving the efficiency of power generation, developing infrastructure able to withstand typhoons and other storms, and establishing a viable method of power transmission.

The ministry will invite applications from universities and businesses to take part in the fiscal 2011 test operations, which are intended to help in establishing solutions to these challenges.

Following its construction in fiscal 2012, the plant's operations until fiscal 2015 will focus on the accumulation of operational know-how and the development of technology, according to the ministry's plan.

Research indicates the Sea of Japan is suitable for the use of wave-power technology, while marine-current technology would be better suited for power-generation plants in the Pacific Ocean or the Inland Sea.

The ministry estimates that oceanic energy power plants in coastal areas, where the technology can be most easily applied, could provide generation capacity of 30 million kilowatts to 50 million kilowatts, or the equivalent of the combined capacity of dozens of nuclear power plants.