Hirono Thermal Power Station

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The Hirono power station is a 4,400 megawatt (MW) power station in Fukushima, Japan, of which 1,200 MW are coal-fired.

Location

The undated satellite photo below shows the power station, located about 3 km north of Hirono, Fukushima.

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Background on plant

The plant has an installed capacity of 4,400 MW. Power is generated by three 600MW units, and two 1,000MW units. Units 1 to 4 run on fuel oil and crude oil, whereas unit 5 (600 MW) runs on coal.

Unit 6

A 600 MW coal-fired Unit 6 went into operation in December 2013, raising the plant's capacity to from 3,800 MW to 4,400 MW.

Proposed IGCC unit

In 2013 Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) said it is considering partnering with Mitsubishi to build two 500 MW integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) coal-fired power stations in Fukushima Prefecture, the area of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant damaged in the 2011 earthquake. One unit will be in the Hirono area and the other in the Nakoso area at the Nakoso power station. Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) will operate the Mitsubishi-owned power plants that could be connected to the grid by 2020.

In August 2015 a letter of intent (LOI) was signed between TEPCO, Mitsubishi, and Joban Joint Power Co. to develop a 540 MW IGCC plant at the Hirono power station. It is planned to be operational in the early 2020s. The companies, named the Fukushima Revitalization Power Consortium, also signed an LOI for a 540 MW IGCC plant at Joban's 1,875MW coal-fired Nakoso power station.

The EIA was approved in 2016, and the plant is planned for 2021. Construction of the plant began in April 2018.

Plant Details

Sponsor: TEPCO Fuel & Power
Parent Company: TEPCO Fuel & Power
Location: Fukushima, Japan
Coordinates: 37.232652,141.015 (exact)
Status: Units 1-4: Retired; Units 5-6: Operating
Start Date: Unit 5: 2004; Unit 6: 2013
Capacity: 1,200 MW (Units 5-6: 600 MW)
Type: Ultra-supercritical
Coal Type: Hard coal
Coal Source: Imported
Estimated annual CO₂:
Source of financing:

Plant Details of IGCC plant

Sponsor: Hirono IGCC Power GK
Parent Company: Mitsubishi (90%), TEPCO (10%)
Location: Fukushima, Japan
Coordinates: 37.232652,141.015 (exact)
Status: Construction
Proposed start date: 2021
Capacity: 540 MW
Type: IGCC
Coal Type: Hard coal
Coal Source: Imported
Estimated annual CO₂:
Source of financing: Mitsubishi, TEPCO, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, Development Bank of Japan, Mizuho Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Fukushima's The Toho Bank

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