Production
Natural gas produced from underground deposits contains impurities such as carbon dioxide and moisture. We have set up a treatment plant (natural gas production processing facility) to remove these impurities and supply it via pipelines.
At our plant, we have established a 24/7 non-stop production system through measures such as snow deposition countermeasures and the redundancy of key equipment. From the ultra-high-pressure well to inside the plant, we use a computerized centralized monitoring control system for efficient operation.
Furthermore, at the Koshijihara Plant and the Oyazawa Plant, we have introduced a gas turbine cogeneration system that uses highly energy-efficient natural gas. We operate while effectively utilizing electricity supply and waste heat recovery.
Underground Storage
Underground natural gas storage refers to a technology where natural gas is injected and stored in underground geological structures, and, when necessary, this injected natural gas can be discharged to address temporal demand fluctuations in summer and winter, or within a day. The underground structures that serve as tanks are mainly depleted Oil and gas fields. This is a stable gas storage technology that is in operation at over 600 locations in the West and multiple locations in Japan.
In our company as well, we are effectively using the Sekihara gas field (which depleted in 1968) near the Minami-Nagaoka gas field, and we have a system in place that allows us to supply natural gas in the event of an emergency.
Application of Power Generation
Adjacent to the Koshijihara Plant, we constructed a high-efficiency gas turbine combined cycle power plant with an output of approximately 55,000 kW. We started supplying power to retail electricity providers from 2007.
In this business, we use natural gas produced at the Minami-Nagaoka gas field as fuel for power generation. We have the unique advantage of being able to secure a stable fuel supply.
The electricity generated is transmitted from the power plant to the Tohoku Electric Power Company's Raikoji Substation via a dedicated transmission line.
