Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS) has officially started the construction of a coal gasification furnace for a 540 MW integrated coal gasification combined-cycle (IGCC) power plant in the Fukushima province (Japan), for Nakoso IGCC Power GK.
Nakoso IGCC Power GK, a joint venture of Japanese power utility Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), Mitsubishi Corporation Power, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, and project company Joban Joint Power, was created in October 2016 to develop an IGCC project on the site of Joban's Nakoso power plant in Iwaki city. A similar joint venture, Hirono IGCC Power GK, was set up to develop another 540 MW IGCC plant at the site of TEPCO's Hirono thermal power plant in the Futaba District. A consortium led by MHPS was awarded a turnkey order for the construction of the plants in December 2016.
The Nakoso IGCC power plant is expected to start operations in September 2020, while the Hirono plant is scheduled for September 2021.