ENVIRONMENT

World Capital for Sustainable Development

In the 1960s, Kitakyushu suffered from serious environmental problems as a result of rapid economic growth.

These serious problems were solved with the cooperation of residents, companies, and the government. Environmental industrialization has been addressed by utilizing such experience and know-how.

A core environmental facility, Kitakyushu Eco Town, is located in this leading environmental industrial city. A variety of facilities are concentrated here to recycle plastic bottles, automobiles, home electrics, fluorescent tubes, and construction waste.

Also, The Faculty of Environmental Engineering has been established within the University of Kitakyushu, and a system developed to reflect the university's research results in environmental businesses.

Such activities have been gathering global attention, and we have received a number of visits by companies and officials from around the world.

Research & development base for new energy

In October 2007, appraisals were made regarding our approaches to new energy such as bio ethanol, solar energy generation, and wind power generation, and the area including the Kitakyushu Eco-Town was designated as a next generation energy park.

Associated facilities to be located within the Next-Generation Energy Park

• Combined central facility (14,000kW) [Waste products power generation, Kitakyushu Ecoenergy Co., Ltd.]
• Food waste ethanol production pilot project [Nippon Steel Engineering Co., Ltd.]
• BDF manufacturing plant [Kyushu and Yamaguchi Oil & Fat Cooperative Association]
• Sewage sludge energy production pilot facility [Nippon Steel Engineering Co., Ltd.]
• Wind power generation (15,000kW) [NS Wind Power Hibiki Ltd.]
• Wind power generation (2,000kW) [Tetra Energy Hibiki Co., Ltd.]
• Solar power generation (150kW)
• Solar power generation (20kW) [J-POWER]
• Kitakyushu Eco-town Practical Research Area Solar power generation (20kW) [Eco-Town Center]
• Coal gasification power generation for fuel cells [EAGLE]
• Fuel cells (200kW) [Energy Center of the Kitakyushu Science and Research Park]
• Natural gas cogeneration (160kW)
• Small hydropower generation (68kW) [Tonda Reservoir, Kitakyushu]
• Unutilized energy facility [CDQ, Mitsui-Mining Co., Ltd.]
• Shirashima Exhibition (Shirashima Oil Storage Base) [Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation]
• City gas plant [Saibu Gas Co., Ltd.]