Continuing coal power means
more global warming,
extreme weatherand disasters
Nagasaki Prefecture wants to become carbon neutral.
To do this, renewable energy is needed, not thermal power plants;
continuing to burn fossil fuels will only make our situation worse.
However…
The GENESIS Matsushima Plan (Saikai City, Nagasaki) is anattempt to keep an outdated coal-ﬁred power plant operating.
There are a number of problems with this plan.

❶ Massive CO emissions, accelerating global warming❷ Extending the life of an aging power plant will lock in CO emissions far into the future❸ Air pollution control equipment is inadequate, with serious health impacts❹ It would dim the prospects for renewable energy
22What is the GENESIS Matsushima Plan?
The Matsushima Thermal Power Station in Saikai
City, Nagasaki Prefecture, currently has two outdated
and inefficient coal-fired power units that have beenin operation for over 40 years (Unit 1, 500 MW, sinceJanuary 1981; Unit 2, 500 MW, since June 1981).
J-Power, one of Japan’s largest energy companies,owns the Matsushima Thermal Power Station. With theGENESIS Matsushima Plan, the company intends toattach gasification equipment to Unit 2 and continue to
use this unit while only slightly improving its eﬃciency.

Project name

GENESIS Matsushima Plan

Site

2573-3 Matsushima Uchigo, Oseto-cho,
Saikai City, Nagasaki Prefecture

TechnologyGas turbine and steam (combined cycle)
Currently: 500 MW (Unit 2)

OutputFuture: Approx. 500 MW (Unit 2)

Fuel

Coal

Construction start

2024 (planned)

Operation start2026（planned）

Source: J-Power’s GENESIS Matsushima Plan, ﬁrst screening report for environmental
impact assessment.

In the future, it aims to generate electricity from biomass and ammonia co-ﬁring, and use carbon capture, utilization, and storage(CCUS), technology to capture CO2 emitted from power generation. Discussions are also underway about using the hydrogengenerated by the gasiﬁcation facility for power generation, or for supplying it to other industries. J-Power is currently in the midst of
an environmental impact assessment (EIA) for this project.

❶CO2 emissions per unit of electricity generated

Massive CO2 emissions,accelerating global warming

1000

The climate crisis is growing more serious day by day.

800The global average temperature rise must be limited to noElectricity generation from coal emits more CO2 thanany other type of thermal power - twice as much as evengas. In fact, coal is the largest source of greenhouse gas
emissions in Japan’s power sector.

Coal (avg.)

by 2030.

Coal (SC)country - must phase out all coal-ﬁred power generation

200

※6

Coal (USC)

2050. To accomplish these goals, Japan - as a developed

400

※2

※3

※5600

Coal (IGCC)

the world need to achieve a carbon-neutral society byIEA 2030 Net Zero Scenario *4

LNG (avg.)

avoid the most dangerous impacts, and countries around

GENESIS Matsushima Plan*1

Oil (conventional)

more than 1.5ºC above pre-industrial levels if we want tog/kWh0*1 The emission coeﬃcient is not published, so this es�mate is based on supercri�cal (SC) technology.
Matsushima Thermal Power Plant is an outdated facility, so even with coal gasiﬁca�on there will
be no signiﬁcant reduc�on in emissions.
*2 CO₂ emission factor of J-Power's Isogo Thermal Power Sta�on (ultra supercri�cal, USC) is 810
g-CO₂/kWh.
*3 CO₂ emission factor of IGCC Hirono/Nakoso power sta�on (integrated coal gasiﬁca�on combinedcycle, IGCC) is 652 g-CO₂/kWh respec�vely (dra� environmental impact statement).
*4 The power sector emission factor in 2030, per “Net Zero by 2050: A Roadmap for the Global EnergySector” (Interna�onal Energy Agency, IEA) is 138 g-CO₂/kWh.
*5 CO2 emission factor of former Yokosuka Thermal Power Sta�on (oil) was 627 g-CO₂/kWh (dra�environmental impact statement).
*6 CO₂ emission factor for high eﬃciency LNG-ﬁred power genera�on (gas turbine combined cycle,GTCC) is 340 g-CO₂/kWh.
Source: Prepared by Kiko Network❷ Extending the life of an aging power plant will lock in CO emissions far into the future2

It is estimated that the existing Matsushima Power Station’sUnit 1 and 2 will emit about 6 million tons of CO2 per year if they
become operational - that’s huge. This alone is equivalent toabout 70% of Nagasaki Prefecture’s annual emissions of 8.144
million tons (FY2019 [indirect emissions]). Additionally, theGENESIS Matsushima Plan would not signiﬁcantly reduce theplant’s emissions.
Nagasaki Prefecture has declared that it will be carbon-neutral
by 2050, which means net zero greenhouse gas emissions.
Prolonging the life of this aging power plant, which has alreadybeen in operation for over 40 years, and continuing to emit CO2
will undermine the goals and eﬀorts of Nagasaki Prefecture.

AdobeStock ⒞ sakura❸ Air pollution control equipment is inadequate, with serious health impacts
Coal contains many pollutants, and when burned as a fuel, it emits a number of air pollutants such as PM2.5 particles andnitrogen oxides, which pollute the air and aﬀect asthma and other respiratory illnesses.
Both units at the Matsushima Thermal Power Station are an old, outdated design, and their environmental equipment is not up
to par. This causes the plant to emit air pollutants in higher concentrations than other coal-ﬁred power plants.
J-Power claims that the GENESIS Matsushima Plan will reduce emission concentrations. However, the emissions will still besigniﬁcantly worse than at other power plants.
NitrogenSulfuroxides (ppm) oxides (ppm)

Soot(mg/m³N)

Plant

CompanyCapacity

Technology

StartedMatsushima Plant, Unit 1J-Power500 MWSC

1981

300

260100

Matsushima Plant, Unit 2(future)
Kobe Plant, Units 1&2

J-Power500 MW

SC

1981

17012050

Kobe Steel 700 MW each

SC

2002

2424

10

Kobe Plant Units 3&4

Kobe Steel 650 MW each

USC

2022

20

135Isogo Plant, Unit 2J-Power

USC

2009

13105600 MW each

Source: Prepared by Kiko Network from the ﬁrst screening report environmental impact assessment for GENESIS Matsushima (p15), draft environment impact statement forUnits 3 and 4 at Kobe Power Plant (p30), and J-Power annual report 2009.

❹ It would dim the prospects for renewable energy
To avoid a worsening climate crisis, the world needs to decarbonize as soon as possible, and to do this we must end the use ofcoal for power generation. This means actively transitioning to a society based on renewable energy such as wind and solar power,
not fossil fuels like coal.
As shown in the graph below, electricity from renewable energy alone increasingly exceeds demand in the Kyushu Electric PowerCo. service area, but solar and wind power output is being curtailed. This is just one example that illustrates how extending the use ofthermal (fossil fuel) power plants hinders the use of renewable energy at the regional level, like placing stumbling blocks in the way
or putting the brakes on the promotion of renewables in the region.
J-Power should present a scenario that does not include the GENESIS Matsushima Plan, and instead should propose more
flexible operation of the regional power system.
Electricity generated (MWh)16000

Power generated in Kyushu on April 18, 2021
Curtailed electricity
出力制御された再エネの発電量from renewable energy (yellow shading)

14000

Curtailed electricity fromrenewable energy (yellow shading)Wind (curtailed)

12000

Solar (curtailed)

10000

Grid interconnection

8000

Pumped storage

6000

Thermal (fossil fuel)Nuclear

4000

Solar

2000

Wind0

Hydro

-2000
-4000

Biomass
24:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

Geothermal

Source: Prepared by Kiko Network from Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies (ISEP) Energy Chart data.

Speak up for a “Just Transition”Nagasaki Prefecture has developed its “Second Nagasaki Prefecture Global Warming (Climate Change) Countermeasures
Implementation Plan”, which includes a long-term goal of realizing a decarbonized society by 2050. Saikai City, where theMatsushima coal-ﬁred power plant is located, is rich in culture and natural beauty. The entire community should be involved indeciding what it needs in order to mitigate any impacts on employment and the local economy associated with the power plant,
and what is necessary to ensure a just transition.
This case is also an important opportunity for Japanese society as a whole. Until now, our society has developed with a heavy
reliance on fossil fuel power plants. How can we transform into a modern society in tune with the times?

Submit comments for the environmental assessment!
The GENESIS Matsushima Plan is currently undergoing an environmental assessment process. Throughout this process, thepublic can express opinions related to the plant’s impacts on the environment. We now know the problems with this plan to extend
the life of a coal-ﬁred power plant, and we can call for its cancellation. Let’s tell J-Power that we need something better.
For input on the ﬁrst screening report of the environmental impact assessment, which was processed in September 2021, 855
comments were submitted by citizens from around the country. On the scoping document (the second stage of the EIA process),which was processed in October 2022, over 3,000 comments were submitted. This shows that many citizens have serious
concerns about the GENESIS Matsushima Plan.
Processes for Document
on Primary Environmental
Impact Consideration

National Government
Econ. Minister

Business Enterprise

Submission

Submission

Env. Minister

OpinionCitizens, Local Government

Document on Primary
Environmental Impact
Consideration
Public Notiﬁcation

OpinionPrefectural Governor, Mayor

Submission

OpinionPublic Comments
OpinionDraft of the Assessment Method(Scoping Document)
Econ. Minister
Prefectural Governor, Mayor
Econ. Minister
OpinionEnv. Minister
Prefectural Governor, Mayor

OpinionOpinionOpinionOpinionPresent State Survey,
Modeling, Evaluation

Public Comments

Now
OpinionPublic Comments

Draft of the Environmental
Impact Statement
Environmental Impact Statement
Implementation of the Project

After 2012, many coal-ﬁred power plants were being planned across Japan. Citizens and communities concerned that climateaction would be delayed raised their voices and organized, and were able to stop some plans. Every voice calling for change helps
us to move toward a decarbonized society.
We urge everyone to submit their comments in the environmental impact assessment process, calling on J-Power to reconsider
its plans. Your voice will be an important step toward averting the climate crisis and creating a safe, healthy, and sustainable futurefor Japan.

Published: May 2022 (Japanese), March 2023 (English)
Kiko Network (https://www.kikonet.org)
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