Local News

Starting in FY 2014, Kurume City will begin using methane and other digester gases produced during the wastewater treatment process to generate electricity. Kurume will make use of the Japanese government’s scheme in which utilities must purchase electricity generated from renewable sources at a fixed rate, and it forecasts an annual profit of ¥36.5 million. Construction of the power generation facility will begin this September, making Kurume the first municipality in western Japan to undertake such an endeavor. The electricity, which will power about 350 households, will be sold by Kurume City’s Southern Purification Center, and the project is slated to run for 20 years. Source: Nishinippon Shimbun, Aug. 2

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