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Twenty-three gigawatts: this is the geothermal reservoir of Japan, according to calculations by the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena).
That is the equivalent of the production of around twenty nuclear reactors.
A real natural treasure that makes the Archipelago the third best-endowed country in this area, behind the United States and Indonesia, and far ahead of the Philippines (6 gigawatts).
This well undermines the narrative of the "country devoid of resources" justifying, for example, its loyalty to fossil fuels (84.8% of the Japanese energy mix).
The value of geothermal energy is only increasing: caught between the very slow restart of its nuclear fleet since the Fukushima disaster in 2011 and the commitment to carbon neutrality by 2050, Japan can hardly do without of such a bargain.
However, the sector has been at a standstill for thirty years.
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With the exception of Matsuo-Hachimantai and Wasabizawa, commissioned in 2019, no geothermal power…
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