Mitsubishi Materials is promoting its geothermal power generation business by cooperating with various stakeholders, including local governments and private companies.
We received messages from Akita Prefecture (our regional partner), Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company, Inc. (our joint development partner), and a student majoring in resource development, who will lead the next generation

To valorize Akita’s dormant potential  in a way that is useful to society. I believe this is the major significance of Mitsubishi Materials’ geothermal power generation business. Geothermal  energy will simply be sleeping there if nothing is done about it. Once developed, however, it can continually produce stable clean energy.
I have been working with the employees of Mitsubishi Materials since I joined the government. What I strongly felt during this process was the power of the company’s people.
Mitsubishi Materials has excellent human resources of various ages. This is the result of consistently continuing the business even when geothermal power generation was in a downturn and the entire industry was experiencing a hollowing out of human resources. When we built the Sumikawa Geothermal Power Station, members involved had a wide range of opinions. Mitsubishi Materials members put together the best possible plan after fully considering everyone’s opinions, which was very encouraging. Recently, they are visiting the concerned parties and carefully explaining the construction of a new power plant.
Since geothermal power generation can ensure a stable supply and does not emit much CO2, it is no exaggeration to say that this energy source benefits not only Akita but also the rest of the world. Naturally, it also creates local jobs and employment and revitalizes the local economy. Surveys for the construction of the new plant are now underway, and we hope that the construction starts safely and on schedule. Conducting surveys in itself develops human resources and accumulates knowledge. We look forward to continuing to work with Mitsubishi Materials to further develop geothermal power generation.

Mitsubishi Gas Chemical and Mitsubishi Materials have worked together as partners in geothermal power generation business for more than 40 years since 1981. Mitsubishi Gas Chemical has cultivated the technology to drill large- diameter wells by developing natural gas in Niigata, and Mitsubishi Materials has fostered the technology to probe for underground resources in mines.
Working together, we have evolved both companies’ technologies to take on the challenge of geothermal development.
There used to be a time when private companies withdrew from the field for cost-efficiency reasons and due to national policy. However, we kept up steady efforts and accumulated knowledge, which is leading to new developments. We have also been passing on our technologies by continuously training engineers involved in geothermal development. The process of developing, constructing, and operating geothermal power plants requires the ability to execute projects while involving many business operators and local residents. Mitsubishi Materials, with its plentiful experience and organizational capabilities, has a top-class ability to steadily promote projects.
Geothermal power generation has great potential as a purely domestic energy source with extremely low CO2 emissions. As more new businesses enter the market, companies can expand their possibilities by sharing information openly and collaborating. The national government, local governments, local people, and we in the private sector should all work as one to promote geothermal power generation as a renewable energy source.

I am researching mechanisms to increase oil recovery amounts in inland areas at university. One could say it’s the same as geothermal energy in terms of underground development. I feel drawn to the field of resource development, where we interact with the earth on this large-scale stage: the underground.
We humans have relied primarily on thermal power generation using fossil fuels, but those fuels can only be used once. Geothermal energy, on the other hand, is reusable, and the process of generating electricity does not emit much CO2. It is truly an energy source that can contribute to a sustainable society. Some people are worried about the negative impacts of underground development, but as far as I can tell from the new technologies and research I am studying at university, there is no need to worry. I want everyone to get the latest knowledge and be positive. I would like to work in the energy field after I graduate, and I look forward to witnessing the turning point where we shift from fossil energy to renewable energy.
Mitsubishi Materials has advanced technological capabilities fostered through its history of underground development that began in mining. It is obvious from its track record of successful projects with multiple partner companies that the company has earned the trust of outside parties. I expect the company to continue to contribute to the building of a recycling-oriented society in the field of renewable energy, including geothermal power generation.