ORIX re-opens Suginoi geothermal power plant in Kyushu, Japan

The Suginoi geothermal power plant in Beppu City, Kyushu, Japan (source: ORIX)

After being shut down for more than 2 years, Orix Corporation (ORIX) has resumed operations of the Suginoi geothermal power plant in the city of Beppu in the Oita Prefecture of the island of Kyushu, Japan. All of the electricity generated by the power plant is supplied to the Beppu Onsen Suginoi Hotel, which is operated by Orix Hotel Management.

The Suginoi geothermal power plant first began operation in 1980. It had to be shut down in January 2022 because of aging equipment. During this period, the power generation equipment was replaced and other related equipment were renovated.

The newly refurbished power plant has a capacity of 1.1 MW, which will cover about 30% of the electricity used by the Suginoi Hotel. It is an essential component in the hotel’s business plan continuity measures, as it can supply electricity regardless of the weather and time of day, and even when commercial power is unavailable. The geothermal power plant is expected to hell reduce CO2 emissions by 2965 tons of CO2 per year.

The Beppu Onsen Suginoi Hotel is a large hotel complex with more than 500 rooms, open-air bath facilities, and an outdoor hot spring.

Earlier this year, ORIX announced the start of commercial operations of the 6.5-MW Minami-Kayabe geothermal power plant in Hakodate City in Hokkaido. It is the largest binary power plant in Japan. These projects are part of the initiative of ORIX to actively develop power generation facilities using renewable energy including geothermal, wind, and solar.

Source: Orix Corporation