JFE Engineering, Chubu Electric Power, Toho Gas, and Tokyo Century commissioned the 112MW Tahara Biomass Power Plant in Tahara City, Aichi Prefecture, on September 1, 2025, the companies announced on September 8, 2025.
According to the statement, the power plant, owned by the special purpose company (SPC) Tahara Biomass Power, is expected to generate about 770GWh annually using wood chips. METI data shows it was certified under the feed-in-tariff (FIT) scheme in FY2016, when 2MW and larger general woody biomass projects were offered 20-year, 24 yen per kWh contracts.
JFE Engineering, which also handled engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC), and Chubu EPCO each own 40% of the project. Toho Gas and Tokyo Century own 10% stakes. Project finance was arranged by Mizuho Bank and Development Bank of Japan.
Construction began in June 2022 and finished on schedule, as announced when the final investment decision for the project was made in October 2021.
Each of the partners also holds stakes in other biomass power plants but Tahara is the largest in their portfolios. Most recently, Chubu EPCO and several other companies commissioned the 52.7MW Fukuyama in Hiroshima Prefecture, which is operated under a virtual PPA structured by its retail arm.
Separately from JFE Engineering and Chubu EPCO’s project, Marubeni and partners commissioned the 75MW Aichi Tahara Biomass Power Plant in November 2024 and JAPEX and partners a separate 50MW Tahara Biomass Power Plant in April 2025.
