On September 5, “ACT Matsushima”, a website and information hub for the GENESIS Matsushima project was launched. Operated by NPOs working to avoid the climate crisis (Kiko Network, 350 New ENEration, Fridays For Future Nagasaki, and Community for the Advancement of Zero Emission Society), the ACT Matsushima website will provide information on GENESIS Matsushima to the public.
Currently, GENESIS Matsushima is undergoing an environmental impact assessment (EIA) by project owner J-Power, and the second EIA document, the Scoping Document, was released on August 31. J-Power insists that adding new gasification equipment to an old coal plant will make it more efficient, but it is believed that this will result in little or no reduction in CO2 emissions. Additionally, this lack of reduction in CO2 emissions is not mentioned anywhere in the EIA. There is significant concern that, if this project moves forward, it could trigger the prolongation of other coal-fired power plants in Japan, accelerating the climate crisis.
350 New ENEration has held webinars regarding GENESIS Matsushima’s issues, and has encouraged people to submit public comments as part of the EIA procedure. For the current round of public comments, the deadline for submissions is October 17 (postmarked).
To submit a public comment, you can use the online form provided on the ACT Matsushima website. These comments will all be printed and mailed to J-Power by the deadline.
Please support us in submitting as many comments as we can and make your voice heard!
Contact
You can contact ACT Matsushima for more information through the contact form here.