{"id":2860178,"version":0,"headline":"Japan's 1.1GW Taketoyo biomass-coal plant to revamp","dateModified":"2026-08-03T10:48:03Z","datePublished":"2026-08-03T10:12:56Z","articleBody":"<article><p class=\"lead\">Engineering firm Kawasaki Heavy industries (KHI) will carry out renovation work at Japan's 1,070MW Taketoyo coal- and-biomass co-firing power plant.</p><p>KHI will renovate the plant's wood pellet fuel-conveying facilities at the Taketoyo No. 5 unit, in order to prevent fires and explosions by improving dust collection, the company said on 31 July. The renovation will also include the installation of fire monitoring equipment. The company aims to complete the work by June 2028.</p><p>The Taketoyo plant started coal- and-biomass co-firing operations in August 2022, consuming around 500,000 t/yr of wood pellets at a biomass rate of 17pc. But the plant was hit by <a href=\"https://direct.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2533258\">a fire seemingly caused by a dust explosion</a>, in January 2024, and halted operations until December. Following repair work, the plant resumed operations in January 2025, burning only coal.</p><p>The power plant in Japan's Aichi prefecture is currently operating only during high demand seasons for electricity in summer and winter, to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.</p><p>The holding company Jera, which is Japan's largest power producer by capacity, initially aimed to restart biomass co-firing operations in the first quarter of 2027, but <a href=\"https://direct.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2846927\">postponed it to June 2028</a>. Jera plans to decrease the biomass rate from previous 17pc to 8pc when operations resume in order to enhance safety.</p><p class=\"bylines\">By Takeshi Maeda</p></article>","dateline":"Tokyo, 3 August (Argus)","license":"<footer><p><br> Send comments and request more information at <a href=\"mailto:feedback@argusmedia.com?subject=Argus Direct article feedback&body=I am contacting you regarding Japan's 1.1GW Taketoyo biomass-coal plant to revamp, available at http://direct.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/cs-24959405.\" target=\"_parent\"> feedback@argusmedia.com </a></p><p><i> Copyright © 2026. <a href=\"http://www.argusmedia.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Argus Media group</a>. All rights reserved. </i></p></footer>","copyrightHolder":"Argus Media group","copyrightYear":2026,"taxonomy":{"contexts":[{"name":"Net zero","children":[]}],"regions":[{"name":"Asia-Pacific","children":[{"name":"Northeast Asia","children":[{"name":"Japan","children":[]}]}]}],"sectors":[{"name":"Biomass","children":[{"name":"Woodpellets","children":[]}]},{"name":"Electricity","children":[]}]},"pullQuote":null,"newsType":"Daily news","language":"en-GB","keywords":null,"isFree":true,"isFeatured":false,"body":"<p class=\"lead\">Engineering firm Kawasaki Heavy industries (KHI) will carry out renovation work at Japan's 1,070MW Taketoyo coal- and-biomass co-firing power plant.</p><p>KHI will renovate the plant's wood pellet fuel-conveying facilities at the Taketoyo No. 5 unit, in order to prevent fires and explosions by improving dust collection, the company said on 31 July. The renovation will also include the installation of fire monitoring equipment. The company aims to complete the work by June 2028.</p><p>The Taketoyo plant started coal- and-biomass co-firing operations in August 2022, consuming around 500,000 t/yr of wood pellets at a biomass rate of 17pc. But the plant was hit by <a href=\"https://direct.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2533258\">a fire seemingly caused by a dust explosion</a>, in January 2024, and halted operations until December. Following repair work, the plant resumed operations in January 2025, burning only coal.</p><p>The power plant in Japan's Aichi prefecture is currently operating only during high demand seasons for electricity in summer and winter, to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.</p><p>The holding company Jera, which is Japan's largest power producer by capacity, initially aimed to restart biomass co-firing operations in the first quarter of 2027, but <a href=\"https://direct.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2846927\">postponed it to June 2028</a>. Jera plans to decrease the biomass rate from previous 17pc to 8pc when operations resume in order to enhance safety.</p><p class=\"bylines\">By Takeshi Maeda</p>","lead":"Engineering firm Kawasaki Heavy industries (KHI) will carry out renovation work at Japan's 1,070MW Taketoyo coal- and-biomass co-firing power plant.","cmsId":"24959405","source":"Censhare"}