The Japanese geothermal market is currently responsible for
approximately 0.2% of electricity generation in the region, but
with an estimated 23,000 MW of geothermal energy, opportunities
to further develop Japan's geothermal resources are plenty.
Geothermal capacity in Japan could grow almost fourfold to 2 GW
by the 2020s following the government's decision to allow
projects in newly opened areas of national parks. A 500-kilowatt
plant at the Tsuchiyu Onsen hot spring in Fukushima City, an
area not far from the epicenter of 2011's nuclear crisis is
currently under way. The project has the potential to expand to
1 megawatt (MW). The Japanese geothermal industry is set to
expand in the coming years, as the country does not want to rely
just on nuclear power to fulfil its electricity needs. In the
wake of the recent nuclear Fukushima disaster, Japanese
authorities are looking to several other ways to generate
electricity and geothermal energy makes to the top of their
list. Since the disaster last year, all but