ABB to automate new Osaka Gas biomass power plant in Japan

ABB has secured its ninth contract with TOYO Engineering Corporation in Japan to supply its distributed control system (DCS) ABB Ability™ Symphony Plus, to the Wakayama Gobo Biomass Power Plant, around 120 km south of Osaka.
When operational in 2025, the 50 MW biomass power plant, which will use wood pellets and agricultural byproduct as a feedstock, will be capable of supplying enough power for up to 110,000 Japanese households a year.
The plant is being developed in partnership by Enewill (formerly JAG Energy), Osaka Gas and SMFL MIRAI Partners who have employed engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor TOYO to design and build the facility.
ABB’s DCS solution will deliver complete visibility of operations, enabling operators to make informed decisions in real time to help optimise production, improve processes, and drive efficiencies.
ABB will also deploy its Adaptive Execution™ project management methodology which utilises digitalisation to speed up delivery schedules and achieve faster site start up.
The new order, booked in January this year, follows ongoing collaboration between ABB and TOYO, with the company integrating its automation solutions at eight other biomass facilities being constructed across Japan.
With domestic supply of energy increasing over 4% year-on-year, Japan, previously seen as a carbon intensive country, is investing in ways to match growth in demand with reducing its reliance on fossil fuels.
In 2022 its renewable energy output increased by 11.7%, driven primarily by solar power and biomass generation.
“In its sixth Basic Energy Plan, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced a target of 8 GW for installed biomass capacity in the country by 2030 which would cover five percent of its projected power demand,” said Brandon Spencer, president of ABB Energy Industries.
“The nine projects that we are involved in will deliver a collective generation capacity of 500 MW, achieving over 6% of the government’s target and providing energy to power more than one million households.”
Japan is currently the world’s fifth largest biomass market and is expected to grow by 5.4% a year until 2025 and 3.7% a year through the following decade.