Hokkaido Gas commissioned the 2MWAC Kamishihoro Solar Power Plant in Hokkaido, on October 1, 2025, and began supplying its output to the town’s retailer Karch, the company announced on October 3, 2025.
According to the statement, Karch will sell the power to households and businesses within Kamishihoro Town. The asset’s estimated 4.4GWh annual output is equivalent to approximately half of the town’s household demand.
The project was built on a 6ha plot of unutilized land leased from Kamishihoro Town. It uses bifacial panels, which are expected to increase the facility’s output by approximately 6% compared to conventional solar panels, primarily during snow cover and summer periods. Mega Solar Business Plus reported the plant’s nominal capacity to be 3.96MWDC.
Construction started in September 2024 and was handled by Obihiro-based Okada Kensetsu.
Kamishihoro Solar Power Plant is one of the initiatives under a partnership between the town, Hokkaido Gas, and three other organizations to promote power production for local consumption signed in 2017 and under the town’s designation as a Decarbonization Leading Area by the Ministry of the Environment in 2022. It follows a Kamishihoro Town Resource Recycling Center-operated biogas plant fueled by local agricultural waste.
Karch was established in May 2018 with investment from the town, Hokkaido Gas, and four other companies to, among other activities, supply power locally.
