Partnership with a trusted manufacturer
1997 was a major turning point for Suttsu Town towards its revitalization. The town succeeded in pumping up a hot spring for an onsen (hot spring bath) from a depth of 1,100 meters, and opened the 'Yubetsu No Yu', an onsen facility operated by the town. It subsequently came up with a plan to develop a new wind power station to power this onsen facility. It was Mayor Kataoka, then the manager responsible for agricultural administration, who led the project with a firm hand. It was the town's second try, and no more mistakes were to be tolerated.
![[Image] Suttsu Town-operated hot spring, “Yubetsu no yu”](/environment/showcase/customer/case_vol1/images/cace_07.jpg)
The town-operated 'Yubetsu No Yu' is believed to be an important magnet for tourists for Suttsu Town. It has become a popular place not just for tourists but also for locals.
*Photo credit: Suttsu Town
![[Image] Mayor Kataoka](/environment/showcase/customer/case_vol1/images/case_name01.gif){kind=small}
Having learned some lessons from our previous mistake, we decided to partner with a trusted manufacturer. Manufacturers in general only talk about good things and are unwilling to touch upon topics that could dim their prospects, but Hitachi was different. They honestly acknowledged that the site was not an ideal location in terms of geographical and wind conditions, and came up with a conservative projection of the estimated output, taking into consideration the fickleness of nature. Hitachi also recommended that the equipment produced by ENERCON, a German manufacturer, would be reliable. Just for precaution's sake, we sought second opinions from experts, who all said that they would go for ENERCON if they were in our position. We thus established a partnership with Hitachi.
In 1999, a large-scale 30m-diameter wind turbine was installed in a park near 'Yubetsu No Yu', the town-operated onsen facility. Its output of 230kW is 15 times greater than that of the wind turbine used for the town's first wind farm. Mayor Kataoka looks back at the time and says he was impressed by the technological advances made in just 10 years.
![[Image] Suttsu Hot Spring “Yubetsu No Yu” Wind Power Station](/environment/showcase/customer/case_vol1/images/cace_08.jpg)
'Suttsu Onsen Yubetsu No Yu Wind Power Station': developed as part of the Central Government's land improvement project. It provides electricity to 'Yubetsu No Yu' as well as lighting for the Agricultural Revitalization Center, which was also developed as part of the project.
*Photo credit: Suttsu Town
The success of the 'Suttsu Onsen Yubetsu No Yu Wind Power Station' provided momentum for the development of additional wind power stations driven by a solid partnership between Suttsu Town and Hitachi.
In 2003, 'Kotobuki No Miyako Wind Farm,' with a capacity of 1,800kW (600kW x 3), was built on Hamanaka Beach, and in 2007, 'Futa Wind Farm,' with the capacity of 9,950kW (1,990kW x 5), the largest ever in the town, started operating. The wind farm, with a total output of over 10,000kW, is among the largest in Hokkaido in terms of capacity.
![[Image] Kotobuki no Miyako Wind Farm](/environment/showcase/customer/case_vol1/images/cace_09.jpg)
'Kotobuki No Miyako Wind Farm': Surrounded by a park golf course and the 'Futa No Mori' promenade, the wind farm has attracted attention for its use of the natural environment.
![[Image] Futa Wind Farm](/environment/showcase/customer/case_vol1/images/cace_10.jpg)
'Futa Wind Farm': Named after 'Futa', the town's mascot character. The sight of five 1,990kW wind turbines (blade diameter: 71m, maximum height: 99m) spinning along the windy coastline of the Suttsu Bay is very spectacular.
The total cost of the development was approximately 2.6 billion JPY for 'Futa Wind Farm' alone. The town has signed a 17-year Electricity Purchase Contract with power grids such as Hokkaido Electric Power. Revenue is expected to reach around 4.53 billion JPY, and profit around 1.3 billion JPY. Note, however, that this is a projection at an operating rate of 29.8%. In practice, a 1% difference in operating rate translates into about 8.5 million JPY difference in revenue. We are aiming for an operating rate of 31.5 to 32%, and would like to reinvest the profits from wind farm operations into town revitalization projects.
![[Image] Mr. Haruo Kataoka, Mayor of Suttsu Town](/environment/showcase/customer/case_vol1/images/cace_11.jpg)
During the initial phase, the wind farms were used primarily for self-consumption of electricity, but the town eventually embarked on commercial sales in 1992. What started as sales of surplus electricity developed into a full-scale business.
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