The new solar power plant will be constructed on a site extending across Kanoya City and Osaki Town in Kagoshima Prefecture. The project will be one of the largest solar installations in Japan and will cover a total area of around 2,000,000m2 (approx. 494 acres). It will incorporate 340,740 Kyocera solar modules and is expected to generate roughly 99,230MWh annually, representing 30,500 typical households and offsetting around 35,730 tons of CO2 emissions per year.
Planning for the project began in January 2014. Under the agreement, Kanoya Osaki Solar Hills LLC will operate the site, and a joint venture established by Kyudenko and Gaia Power will undertake the design, construction and maintenance of the solar installation. Kyocera will supply high-efficiency solar modules and Century Tokyo Leasing will arrange financing. Around 35 billion yen (approximately $290 million) in investment is planned for the project and construction is expected to start in the second half of the FY2016 (October 2015 to March 2016) with operations commencing in FY2018 (April 2017 to March 2018).
The land development application for the project was submitted in April 2015, along with a year-long environmental impact assessment which has now been completed. The installation will also help the local community through job creation and an increase in tax revenues in Kanoya City and Osaki Town. Construction of the plant will employ environmentally friendly methods and will promote renewable energy as well as contributing to environmental protection and sustainability.
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