Abstract
The Japanese people has a long history of using geothermal energy for hot spring bathing. The end of the 19th century saw the start of hot water well drilling using a technique known as“Kazusabori”. The first geothermal well for industrial use was drilled at the natural steaming ground in the Beppu geothermal field on Kyushu Island by Lieutenant General Masuji Yamauchi in 1918, whilst in 1925, Dr. Heiji Tachikawa succeeded in generating 1.12kW of geothermal power using steam from the Yamauchi well. The first geothermal power station for practical use in Japan was built in Matsukawa, Honshu Island in 1966. Since then, geothermal prospectings and developments have been carried out all over the country, both by the Japanese government and by private companies. At present, there are 11 power stations, responsible for a total output of about 270MW; by the end of the century, following the construction of an additional 9 power stations, total output is expected to reach about 530MW.
