Opinions of the Minister of the Environment on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Renovation of the Mizushima Power Station

On September 25, 2006, the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) submitted the Minister's opinions on the draft environmental impact statement for a project to renovate the Mizushima Power Station in Okayama Prefecture, owned and operated by the Chugoku Electric Power Co., Inc. The opinions were submitted to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, in accordance with the provisions of the Environmental Impact Assessment Law and the Electric Utility Law.

This project plans to switch the power station's fuel from coal to natural gas and renovate the existing power generating systems to the natural gas-fired combined cycle generating systems. The MOE commented on the following issues of this project:

I. Greenhouse gas (CO2) emission
1. Further decrease the unit CO2 emission of the total electricity sold by the company by: 1) increasing the operating rate of these new systems; and 2) employing an optimum combination of the company's power stations.

2. Conduct an appropriate evaluation of the power station on its consistency with the Kyoto Protocol Target Achievement Plan, taking into account the power generating systems that are expected to be transferred to the newly established company.

II. Follow-up
1. Determine the CO2 emission and operating rate of the new systems, and take appropriate measures if needed.

2. If power generating systems are transferred to the newly established company, make appropriate arrangements to ensure that proper environmental considerations are given to operation and maintenance of these systems. In this case, determine the nitrogen oxide emission of each system, and take appropriate measures if needed.

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