I am currently working at the Appi Geothermal Power Plant (scheduled to start operations in 2024) construction site, located in the Mt. Hachimantai National Forest in Hachimantai City, Iwate Prefecture. Since geothermal  power plants are usually built in the mountains where there are no roads, construction begins by clearing forests and building bases and roads. In cooperation with the prime contractor and local forestry companies, we build bases that will not affect the surrounding environment. We then drill a production well to extract steam from underground and a reinjection well to return the hot water that comes out with the steam from underground and the cooling water produced by cooling the steam after power generation to the underground.
At the same time, we construct a steam facility to send the steam extracted from the production well to the power generation facility. During this period, the environment is continuously monitored from the survey phase. This project has a long construction period, lasting four and a half years. In winter, construction will be suspended due to heavy snowfall, which can pile more than five meters.
Regarding drilling work specific to geothermal power plants, it takes about two months to drill one well to 2,300 meters below ground where the geothermal reservoir exists. We are drilling seven wells that will last for many years, ensuring that the water veins encountered while drilling are plugged, calculating the expansion of the pipes due to heat, and securing the pipes so that they are not overloaded.
In addition to meeting the required specifications for equipment quality, we also make sure that every invisible detail is beautifully finished. As the saying goes, “God is in the details,” and attention to detail is the key to extending the life  of equipment. Because the equipment will keep running for decades, we want to pass on something we can be proud  of to the next generation. We will also focus on training the engineers who will be responsible for building the next new geothermal power plants and pass on the technology and know-how we have fostered here to the future.