The general outline and the encouragement of biomass town

Government of Japan implemented Biomass Nippon Strategy, in which the encouragement of Biomass Town has the key significance. Biomass Town is unique and characteristic undertaking of the policy to accelerate effective utilization of biomass. Biomass Town is defined as a community, i.e. a town, a city or the other type of municipalities, which has an integrated biomass utilization system from its generation to final use with networks of efficient processes, under the close cooperation among all interested parties in that community. And Biomass Town should actually promote, or be expected to promote in the future, sustainable biomass utilization in a steady and appropriate manner, not by some limited number of people but by all people in the area. The objective number of Biomass Towns is 300 nationwide by 2010. By the end of November 2009, 221 Biomass Towns were defined. Each of municipalities is planner for Biomass Town, and JORA supports actively such municipalities planning it. JORA especially hopes that the increasing numbers of Biomass Towns will build a many kind of biomass conversion plants to realize Biomass Nippon.