Japanese utility Tohoku Electric Power will study the use of black pellets for power generation at its 1.8GW Noshiro coal-fired plant in northeast Yamagata prefecture, aiming to progress the decarbonisation of its thermal power plants.
Tohoku is considering using black pellets for power generation at its two units at Noshiro, the 600MW No.1 unit and the 600MW No.2 unit, utilising thermal efficiency of the pellets, according to the company’s carbon neutral strategy released last week. The two units currently co-fire 1pc woody biomass with 99pc coal, while the company plans to switch the woody biomass to black pellets after 2024. Another 600MW No.3 unit burns only coal so far.
The company uses woody biomass as generation fuel for two coal-fired power units at the Noshiro and 2GW Haramachi power complexes. Noshiro and Haramachi consume 30,000 t/yr of woody biomass and 60,000 t/yr, respectively.
Tohoku is still mulling suppliers of black pellets, and will also study producing the feedstock production at other unused sites that it owns.
Japanese refiner Idemitsu is gearing up its black pellet business, with an expected rise in demand from the country’s coal-fired power producers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Idemitsu plans to start commercial black pellet production in Vietnam in 2022 with capacity of 120,000 t/yr, after scrapping plans to build a black pellet production facility in Surat Thani, Thailand. The company did not disclose the location of the Vietnam site.
Idemitsu is also developing its technology to grow sorghum and produce black pellets from the crop on unused land at its 85pc-owned 4.5mn t/yr Ensham coal mine in Australia’s Queensland state, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Idemitsu Australia Resources.
By Maiko Nakashima
Post time: Jan-13-2022