Matsushima power station
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Matsushima power station (松島発電所) is an operating power station of at least 1000-megawatts (MW) in Matsushima Island, Saikai, Nagasaki, Kyūshū, Japan with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating. It is also known as GENESIS Matsushima Project (New Unit 2), GENESIS松島計画 (New Unit 2).
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Matsushima power station | Matsushima Island, Saikai, Nagasaki, Kyūshū, Japan | 32.940027, 129.597169 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- New Unit 2, Unit 1, Unit 2: 32.940027, 129.597169
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Unit 2 | pre-permit | coal - bituminous, bioenergy - unknown | 500 | integrated gasification combined cycle | 2028[1] | – |
| Unit 1 | operating | coal - bituminous | 500 | supercritical | 1981 | 2024 (planned) |
| Unit 2 | operating | coal - bituminous | 500 | supercritical | 1981 | 2025 (planned) |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner |
|---|---|
| New Unit 2 | J-POWER Co Ltd [100.0%] |
| Unit 1 | J-POWER Co Ltd [100.0%] |
| Unit 2 | J-POWER Co Ltd [100.0%] |
Background
The Matsushima power station comprises two 500-MW units commissioned in January 1981 and June 1981, respectively.[2] It is owned and operated by J-POWER, the trading name for the Electric Power Development Co.
In November 2020, J-POWER announced that it would retire most of its older coal-fired plants by 2030, likely including Matsushima.[3]
Unit 2 of the power station had been proposed for retirement in 2025.[4] In October 2023, J-POWER announced that Unit 1 of Matsushima power station would be decommissioned at the end of 2024. Unit 2 would be mothballed in preparation for the replacement unit.[5]
Proposed GENESIS Matsushima Project
A 500 MW coal gasification facility is proposed to replace one unit at the power station. It is known as the GENESIS Matsushima Project (GENESIS松島計画).
In April 2021, J-POWER announced that it was planning to build a new unit at the plant that would co-burn biomass and ammonia, with an expected completion date of 2025-2026.[6]
The GENESIS Matsushima project is a proposed coal gasification facility for the existing Matsushima power station. The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) procedures were underway in 2021.[7][8]
The GENESIS Matsushima project was proposed by J-POWER as upgrading Unit 2, one of the two existing 500 MW supercritical (SC) coal-fired power units. The “upcycling” plan would allow the continued use of coal and emit large amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere, even if would improve the plant's efficiency. As of 2021, J-POWER planned to begin construction in FY 2024 and start operation in FY 2026. By advancing this project, J-POWER was aiming to establish the commercialization of new technology that adds gasification facilities to existing power plants, and then eventually use hydrogen and ammonia in power generation in the future. It was also working on the realization of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS). These “innovative technologies” are stated in J-POWER’s “BLUE MISSION 2050” announced in February 2021.[7]
As Japan Beyond Coal noted, "using these uncertain technologies – for which there is no prospect of practical commercial use – as an excuse to preserve coal-fired power generation will only lead to further long-term CO2 emissions and widen the gap to the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C target. The GENESIS Matsushima project is a huge step backwards for Japan in a world that is increasingly moving to decarbonize. Additionally, this project has a high risk of becoming a stranded asset in the future."[7]
In May 2022, J-POWER released a progress report which included the GENESIS Matsushima project. The Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry's opinion in December 2021 was the most recent update. However, it was stated that environmental impact assessment scoping documents were in preparatory phases.[9]
In August 2022, J-POWER submitted the EIA scoping document and invited public comment until October.[10]
After commentary on the Scoping Document was closed (having collected record numbers of over 3,000 public comments), the document was reviewed by the Environmental Impact Review Committee of Nagasaki Prefecture and the Environmental Impact Review Committee of the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry.[11] A review report was then submitted in February 2023 and the Ministry of Trade, Economy, and Industry announced its approval of the Environmental Impact Assessment Method, sending the EIA process to the next phase: The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft EIS).[11]
In May 2023, the Draft EIS was reportedly under preparation and the project's construction was still expected to begin in 2024.[12] As of September 2023, no updates on the progress of the Draft EIS were available.
In October 2023, J-POWER announced that construction would begin in 2026, with operations slated for 2028. Environmental impact assessment procedures were ongoing.[5] In January 2024, Japan Beyond Coal stated that the second stage of the environmental impact assessment had been completed, and that the project was awaiting public commentary to move on to the third stage of the assessment.[13]
Acronym
In April 2021, J-POWER noted that GENESIS is an abbreviation for Gasification ENErgy & Sustainable Integrated System: "As the word 'genesis' means birth and origin, GENESIS implies creating new value that will lead to the realization of a carbon-neutral and hydrogen society by using the gasification technology cultivated by J-POWER. Trademark registration pending as J-POWER GENESIS."[8]
Government's written opinion (Dec. 2021)
In December 2021, the Minister of the Environment's written opinion on the "GENESIS Matsushima Planning Stage Environmental Consideration Document" (Electric Power Development Co., Ltd.) was submitted to the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry. The Minister of the Environment's opinion acknowledged the plan to continue using coal-fired power generation facilities.[14] The following documents provide additional information about the update, including disappointment from advocates:
- Submission of the Minister of the Environment’s Opinion on the Document on Primary Environmental Impact Consideration for the Planning Stage of the GENESIS Matsushima Project (Ministry of the Environment)[15]
- Kiko Network's response to the Minister of the Environment’s opinion（2021/12/16)[16]
- Friends of the Earth (FoE) Japan's response to the Minister of the Environment’s opinion（2021/12/21)[17]
Public opinion and commentary (2022 and 2023)
The Genesis project has criticized by advocacy groups as an ill conceived plan to extend the life of an extremely old plant.[18]
In March 2023, following the project's October 2022 scoping release, it was reported that over 3,000 public comments had been submitted to the scoping document. No Coal Japan reported that the responses of J-Power to these comments were "unsatisfactory" and "dishonest", regarding the statements by J-Power that the GENESIS plant would improve thermal efficiency and achieve zero CO2 emissions [11]
In response to J-Power statements that the GENESIS Matsushima project would be not only carbon-neutral but have a net carbon-negative impact, the environmental NGO Kiko Network created an informative pamphlet on the project. The pamphlet challenged the J-Power claims regarding the emissions and environmental sustainability of the GENESIS project, stating that "Air pollution control equipment is inadequate, with serious health impacts" and that even with the carbon-capture technology, the emissions from the proposed plant would "still be significantly worse than at other power plants".[19]
In October 2023, citizens, organized by 350.org, protested the GENESIS Project. Protesters donned zombie masks, calling the proposal a "coal zombie".[20]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ "松島火力発電所の今後について～GENESIS松島計画の推進とCO2削減目標に向けた既存設備の更新～ │ ニュースリリース │ J-POWER 電源開発株式会社". www.jpower.co.jp. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
- ↑ Fact Book: 2008, Electric Power Development Co., October 2008 (page 15)
- ↑ Japan’s J-Power to shut down old coal-fired power plants by 2030, NS Energy, November 2, 2020
- ↑ Map & Data, Japan Beyond Coal, accessed January 2022
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 松島火力発電所の今後について, J-POWER, October 31, 2023
- ↑ J-POWER looks to co-burn ammonia at Matsushima No. 2 coal-fired unit, S&P Global Platts, April 16, 2021
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 GENESIS Matsushima Project Emerges, Citizens Take Action!, Japan Beyond Coal, October 22, 2021
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "J-POWER Starts Preparation for Environmental Impact Assessment of GENESIS Matsushima Plan, J-POWER, April 16, 2021
- ↑ Progress of J-POWER Medium-Term Management Plan, J-POWER, May 11, 2022
- ↑ 「GENESIS松島計画 環境影響評価方法書」の届出・送付及び縦覧・説明会について, J-POWER, August 30, 2022
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 More than 3,000 public comments submitted on GENESIS Matsushima, Beyond Coal Japan, March 24, 2023
- ↑ Progress of J-POWER Medium-Term Management Plan J-Power, May 10, 2023
- ↑ 【動画】石炭ゾンビが出現？ GENESIS松島計画の問題点, Japan Beyond Coal, January 26, 2024
- ↑ Japan’s Minister of the Environment in effect approves the GENESIS Matsushima project, Japan Beyond Coal, December 23, 2021
- ↑ GENESIS 松島計画に係る計画段階環境配慮書に対する環境大臣意見の提出について, Ministry of the Environment, December 16, 2021
- ↑ 「GENESIS松島計画」への環境大臣意見は旧式石炭火力の延命の容認だ～気候危機に向き合うなら「是認できない」となるべきだ～, Kiko Network, December 16, 2021
- ↑ 「GENESIS松島計画」への環境大臣意見―石炭火力発電容認に抗議, FoE Japan, December 21, 2021
- ↑ GENESIS Matsushima Project: Citizens’ voices ignored in response to public comments, Japan Beyond Coal, December 21, 2021
- ↑ GENESIS Matsushima Project- An Overview and Issues(PDF), ACT松島, May 2022 (Japanese), March 2023 (English)
- ↑ Citizens protest ”coal zombie” GENESIS Matsushima project, Japan Beyond Coal, November 7, 2023
Additional data
To access additional data, including an interactive map of coal-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
