Japan’s Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry is planning legislative changes to ease the way for abandoned farmland to be consolidated for use in renewable energy projects.
The ministry hopes that power generation projects will revitalize rural areas by creating jobs and boosting incomes, sources said.
As early as Friday, the government will adopt legislation aimed at simplifying approval and notification procedures prescribed under seven laws including the agricultural land act, which restricts diversion of farmland, according to the sources.
The ministry estimates that approximately 170,000 hectares of abandoned farmland can be used for electricity generation.
By using such land for renewable energy projects, it aims to boost the share of renewable energy in total power generation in Japan by threefold from the current level of a little over one pct, the sources said.
Even under the current legal regime, it is possible to construct power generation facilities in abandoned farmland if the proper procedure is taken for farmland conversion.
Due to the difficulty of consolidating scattered farmland, however, there is a shortage of land suitable for large-scale panels for photovoltaic power generation or wind power generation facilities.
Also worried that disorderly development could cause a loss of land needed for cultivation, the ministry believes it necessary to set up a framework to help systematic consolidation of abandoned farmland, the sources said.
Under the new legislation, municipalities will be allowed to draw up basic programs that designate areas where establishment of power generation facilities will be promoted and include measures to reinvigorate the agriculture, forestry and fisheries industries.
Once power business operators map out installation plans in line with the basic program and receive the approval of local authorities, they would be on a fast track to starting projects on former farmland thanks to simplified approval and notification procedures.
