The Fukushima nuclear disaster has eased long-standing opposition to the expansion of Japan’s geothermal industry. The country has had no new large geothermal projects in the past 16 years because of resistance from hot-spring resort operators and regulations against developing in national parks. With the current energy crisis, those regulations have been relaxed, and the government plans for geothermal energy to increase from 537,000 kilowatts of capacity to nearly 4 million kW by 2030. The government has allocated about US$29 million in subsidies to the industry, in additon to the country’s new feed-in tariffs.
Developers of a new project in Tsuchiyu - a hot spring resort not far from Fukushima - plan to demonstrate that geothermal facilities can have minimal impact on the springs and their surrounding areas.
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