Japan village builds small scale biomass power plant on former ski resort site

Nippon Parking Development and its renewable energy subsidiary, Smart Green Energy (SGE), has built a small-scale woody biomass power plant built on the former Hotaka Bokujo Ski Resort site in Katashina Village, Gunma Prefecture. Full commercial operation is scheduled for autumn 2026 following equipment adjustments.

The Hotaka Bokujo Ski Resort ceased operations in 2017, presenting Katashina Village with the prolonged challenge of repurposing the disused infrastructure. It is one of the ski resorts across rural Japan that face closure due to demographic shifts and unpredictable snowfall, thus leaving expansive mountain terrains idle. Rather than abandoning the grounds or executing costly site clearances, SGE converted the terrain into a decentralised energy hub. The facility consumes unused local timber and forestry residues, converting them into wood chips to generate electricity for public facilities across the village.

Combining decommissioned tourism grounds with biomass energy generation creates a practical circular model for regional assets. Katashina Village mayor expressed confidence that this decentralised energy framework could be replicated by municipal governments facing similar land-use issues. SGE President stated that the project establishes a scalable template for transforming defunct tourism assets into productive clean energy infrastructure across Japan.

This integration of disused winter tourism sites with biomass energy addresses two systemic challenges in rural regions: idle asset management and unutilised forestry biomass.