Southwest Japan’s Challenges: Foundation for Growth / Heat from Ground, Seawater Could be Energy Bonanza for Kyushu; May Ease Japan’s Dependence on Foreign Oil Imports

Southwest Japan’s Challenges: Foundation for Growth / Heat from Ground, Seawater Could be Energy Bonanza for Kyushu; May Ease Japan’s Dependence on Foreign Oil Imports

As I drove through the town of Kokonoe, Oita Prefecture, admiring the magnificent Kuju mountain range surrounding the area, a building spewing out thick white steam came into view. This was the Hatchobaru geothermal power plant, which boasts an output of about 110 megawatts, more than any other geothermal plant in Japan, which has an abundance of volcanic activity.