Buzen Biomass Power Plant: Efforts Towards Stable Supply of Biomass Fuel

erex Co., Ltd.

erex Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as the “Company”) is pleased to announce that the construction of biomass fuel transport vessel “Kishu” (hereinafter referred to as the “Vessel”) has been completed to transport fuel to the domestic biomass power plants of the Company’s group entities.

Note

The Company and NS United Kaiun Group have already been collaborating and building a cooperative system for fuel transportation to Buzen New Energy G.K. (Abbreviated as Buzen Biomass Power Plant). This time, NS UNITED NAIKO KAIUN KAISHA, Ltd. (Headquarter: Chiyoda-Ward, Tokyo, Representative Director & President: Kazushi Fukuda), a subsidiary of NS United Kaiun Kaisha, Ltd., ordered a new biomass fuel transport vessel equipped with a gut crane (*), and the Vessel constructed by Kishu Kaiun Ltd. (Kami-Amakusa City, Kumamoto Prefecture) has been completed.

With the recent rise in biomass fuel prices, it has become an urgent task for business entities operating biomass power plants to stably secure and transport low-cost fuel. The Vessel was constructed with the aim of serving as a backup for the domestic transport vessel “IBUKI” for biomass fuel, etc. and as a complement when fuel transportation becomes necessary for Buzen Biomass Power Plant (Buzen City, Fukuoka Prefecture) to improve the stability and economy of transportation.
* Gut crane: A vessel equipped with a crane and equipment (grab bucket) for grabbing bulk cargo (including biomass). This equipment enables cargo handling even in ports without cargo handling equipment, improving the versatility of transportation.

The Vessel has been certified with the highest rating of 5 stars (CO2 emission reduction rate improved by 20% from the standard value) under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s “Domestic Coastal Vessel Energy Saving Rating System (*)”. The Company will continue to work on reducing CO2 emissions.

In addition, the Vessel has more rooms than other vessels of the same type, and the onboard living environment has also been improved to secure a stable number of young sailors, including trainees who are future sailor candidates, and to promote training and employment.

The completion of the vessel is extremely important as it will lead to the stable operation of the Company group’s power plants and to the reduction of CO2 emissions.

The Company, with its mission to “open up the future with new ideas and actions”, and its 2030 vision to “become a pioneer in the new era of electric power with renewable energy at its core, aims for stable operations while pursuing economic rationality.