Key facts
- Kawasaki Heavy Industries will renovate Japan's 1,070MW Taketoyo coal- and biomass-fired power plant.
Kawasaki Heavy Industries will renovate Japan's Taketoyo coal- and biomass-fired power plant's fuel-conveying facilities to prevent fires and explosions. The work, aimed at improving dust collection and installing fire monitoring equipment, is expected to be completed by June 2028.
The renovation of the Taketoyo power plant addresses safety concerns following a fire incident, aiming to ensure more reliable operation of biomass co-firing and contribute to Japan's greenhouse gas emission reduction goals.
Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) will undertake renovation work at Japan's 1,070MW Taketoyo coal- and biomass-fired power plant. The company will focus on the wood pellet fuel-conveying facilities at the Taketoyo No. 5 unit to prevent fires and explosions by improving dust collection and installing fire monitoring equipment. The renovation is slated for completion by June 2028.
The Taketoyo plant began co-firing coal and biomass in August 2022, utilizing approximately 500,000 tonnes per year of wood pellets at a 17% biomass rate. However, a fire, seemingly caused by a dust explosion, occurred in January 2024, forcing the plant to halt operations until December. Following repairs, the plant restarted in January 2025, operating solely on coal.
Currently, the power plant in Aichi prefecture operates only during peak electricity demand periods in summer and winter to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Jera, Japan's largest power producer by capacity, initially planned to restart biomass co-firing in the first quarter of 2027 but has postponed this to June 2028. When operations resume, Jera intends to lower the biomass rate to 8% from the previous 17% to enhance safety.
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