NEWS & PRESS RELEASE

Start of Commercial Operations at Chofu Biomass Power Plant in Shimonoseki City, Yamaguchi

January 06, 2025Press Release

The five investor companies — Chofu Seisakusho Co., LTD., Japan Petroleum Exploration Co., Ltd. (JAPEX), TOKYO ENERGY & SYSTEMS INC., MOT Research Institute, Ltd. and KAWASAKI KINKAI KISEN KAISHA, LTD. (hereinafter the “Sponsors”) — announced that Chofu Biomass Power Plant (located in Shimonoseki City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, hereinafter referred to as the "Power Plant"), which is being developed by Chofu Bio Power LLC (CBP), the entity they jointly invest in, has started commercial operations on December 30, 2024.

The Power Plant is a biomass-only facility with an output capacity of 74,950 kW that uses 100% wood pellets as its power generation fuel. The amount of power generated is approximately 520 GWh per year, and all of it is sold to Chugoku Electric Power Transmission & Distribution Co., Inc., based on the Feed-in tariffs scheme (FIT) for renewable energy.

CBP has managed the Power Plant, while the Sponsors have been entrusted with tasks related to the power plant from CBP, such as operation and maintenance, fuel procurement, and transportation, based on each company's capabilities. The Sponsors have also cooperated with and supported CBP in building and maintaining relationships with the local government and neighborhoods.

CBP and the Sponsors will contribute to expanding the use of electricity derived from renewable energy sources with low environmental impact and to developing local economies, with the understanding and support of stakeholders of the Shimonoseki area.