Regarding a large-scale solar power generation project in Miyagi Prefecture, where one solar panel is installed in an "enclave" 11 kilometers away, Minister of the Environment Nishimura said, "From the perspective of environmental conservation, it is remarkably lacking in rationality." , based on the procedure of "environmental assessment", we have compiled an opinion to seek a review of the plan.
In this plan, a business operator in Miyagi Prefecture will install more than 83,000 solar panels in Murata Town in the prefecture, while one solar panel will be installed in an enclave in Taihaku Ward, Sendai City, about 11 kilometers away. , the two facilities are connected by electric wires and operated as a single facility.
According to the business operator, it was originally approved by the government eight years ago to set up a facility in Sendai City, but after that, it was forced to change the business, and when it was re-approved, the purchase price of electricity increased. Because it will be less than one-third of the original, it means that the plan was to connect the two lands.
Regarding this plan, Minister of the Environment Nishimura said on the 18th, "If it is implemented as a separate project, it will cause an environmental impact that could not have originally occurred." We submitted to the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry an opinion requesting a review of the plan based on the assessment procedure.
In the future, the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry will provide business operators with an opinion that takes into consideration this opinion, and the business operators will decide their business plans based on this opinion.
Sugo Solar Power Generation LLC, the business operator, said in an interview with NHK, "After fully confirming the opinions, we will discuss as much as possible."