Hirono Thermal Power Station

Hirono Thermal Power Station (広野火力発電所, Hirono karyoku hatsudensho) is a fossil-fuel power station operated by JERA in the town of Hirono, Fukushima, Japan. It located on the Pacific coast and is currently the seventh largest thermal power station in Japan.[1]

Hirono Thermal Power Station
Hirono Thermal Power Station
Map
Hirono Thermal Power Station
Official name広野火力発電所
CountryJapan
LocationHirono, Fukushima
Coordinates37°14′18″N 141°01′04″E / 37.23833°N 141.01778°E / 37.23833; 141.01778
StatusOperational
Commission dateApril 1980
OwnerJERA
OperatorJERA
Thermal power station
Primary fuelFuel oil, Crude oil
Secondary fuelCoal
Site area1.33 million sq.m.
Power generation
Units operational3 (+3 long-term offline)
Nameplate capacity4400 MW
External links
Websitewww.jera.co.jp/business/thermal-power/list/hirono
CommonsRelated media on Commons

History

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The Hirono Thermal Power Station came on line with Unit 1 in April 1980, followed by Unit 2 in July 1980. Unit 3 came on line in June 1989, followed by Unit 4 in January 1993. The plant was constructed on the assumption that natural gas would be supplied from the offshore Iwaki gas field; however, the amount of gas produced proved to be insufficient, and Units 3 and 4, which used to mix oil and natural gas, became oil-only. Construction began on Units 5 and 6 in August 1999, but with coal for fuel. These units were completed in July 2004 and December 2013 respectively. Production of natural gas from the Iwaki-Oki gas field ended in July 2007.

The power plant located directly at the Pacific Ocean was damaged by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.[2] Tepco managed to return the first block to operation in July 2011.[3]

The plant had an installed capacity of 4,400 MW. Power is generated by three 600 MW units, and two 1,000 MW units. Units 1 to 4 run on fuel oil and crude oil,[4] whereas unit 5 (600 MW) runs on coal.[5] A new 600 MW coal-fired unit, Unit 6, commenced commercial operation in December, 2013.[6]

The long-term shutdown of Unit 1 was scheduled for April 1, 2016. After that, the long-term planned suspension of Units 3 and 4 began on July 1, 2018.

On May 15, 2014, TEPCO announced a plan to construct the world's most advanced integrated coal gasification combined cycle (IGCC) facility on the premises of the Fukushima Reconstruction Large Coal Gasification Combined Cycle Power Plant demonstration project On October 20, 2016, the plan was taken over by Hirono IGCC Power LLC (a joint-venture of Mitsubishi Power, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Electric, and TEPCO Holdings).

Plant details

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Unit Fuel Type Capacity On line Status
1 Heavy Oil/Crude Oil Super critical Steam turbine 600 MW April 1980 Long-term off-line April 2016
2 Heavy Oil/Crude Oil Super-critical Steam Turbine 600 MW July 1980 operational
3 Heavy Oil/Crude Oil Super critical Steam turbine 1000 MW June 1989 Long-term off-line July 2018
4 Heavy Oil/Crude Oil Super critical Steam turbine 1000 MW January 1993 Long-term off-line July 2018
5 Coal Ultra-critical Steam Turbine 600 MW July 2004 operational
6 Coal Ultra-critical Steam Turbine 600 MW December 2013 operational
7 Coal IGCC 540 MW est. September 2021 under construction

See also

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References

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  1. ^ FEPC. "Principal Thermal Power Plants (1,000MW or greater)". The Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  2. ^ Tepco. "Restoration of devastated thermal power station". Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  3. ^ Tsuyoshi Inajima (4 July 2011). "Tokyo Electric Starts No. 1 Unit at Hirono Thermal-Power Station". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  4. ^ Yuji Nishiyama (22 March 2011). "Utilities Sector". Credit Suisse. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
  5. ^ Hiromasa Momma; Junichi Ishiguro; Takayuki Suto; Toshihiro Miyawaki; Ryuji Iwamoto; Tsuyoshi Nakahara (October 2004). "Commencement of the Commercial Operation of 600 MW Unit, "Hirono No. 5 Thermal Power Station of The Tokyo Electric Power Co., Inc."". Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Technical Review. 41 (5). Mitsubishi Heavy Industries: 264–267. Archived from the original on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
  6. ^ "TEPCO : Commercial Operation Commencement of Unit 6 of Hirono Thermal Power Station". TEPCO. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
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