On the morning of the 9th, a fire occurred at a biomass power plant in Yonago City, Tottori Prefecture, and part of the facility was destroyed
At around 9:20 a.m. on the 9th, an employee of the power plant called the fire department to report that there was an explosion and smoke was rising at the Yonago Biomass Power Plant located in an industrial park in Oshinozu-cho, Yonago City, Tottori Prefecture.
Seven fire engines were involved in extinguishing the fire, and the fire was extinguished after about four hours.
No one was injured.
According to the police, the fire occurred at a facility where wood fuel pellets are transported from vehicles, and it appears that part of the outer wall was torn off by the blast, leaving the pellets in the basement and part of the elevator transporting them from the basement to storage tanks. It means that it was burnt.
This power plant burns fuel pellets in a boiler to heat water, and the steam rotates a turbine to generate electricity.
It started operating in April last year, and according to the fire department, three fires occurred between May and July this year.
Police and fire departments are investigating the exact cause of the fire.
[People who were near the power plant] A 75-year-old man who was working in a nearby field when the fire broke out said, “I heard an explosion and my body fell back down.After that, I saw a building.” The flames were coming out with great force.It was scary.”
[Yonago Biomass Power Plant]
The Yonago Biomass Power Plant was established by a limited liability company made up of five companies, including Chubu Electric Power, and began operation in April of last year.
The fuel used is wood pellets imported from countries such as Vietnam and coconut shells imported from Southeast Asia.The fuel is burned in a boiler to heat water, and the steam is used to rotate a turbine to generate electricity.
The planned annual power generation amount is approximately 390 million kilowatt hours, which is enough to power 125,000 ordinary households.
Article Source: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/lnews/tottori/20230909/4040016057.html