MHIEC Receives Order for Plant Modification Work from Oita City, Japan, To Extend Operational Life of Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Facility -- 438 Ton/day Capacity Plant for Fukumune Environmental Center --

Tokyo, August 9, 2012 - Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Environmental & Chemical Engineering Co., Ltd. (MHIEC), a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI), has received an order from Oita City, in Japan's Oita Prefecture, for modification work on a large-scale municipal solid waste (MSW) incineration plant at the city's Fukumune Environmental Center. The modification of the stoker furnace (Notes1) type incineration plant, which has a 438 tons per day (tpd) processing capacity and is now in its 16th year in operation, is aimed at not only extending the plant's operational life but also furthering its energy-saving capability. The modification work is slated for completion in March 2015.

The incineration plant, which MHI originally completed in April 1997, consists mainly of three units of a 146 tpd Mitsubishi-Martin stoker furnace, a heat recovery steam generator and a steam-turbine power generation system. The modification work ordered calls for renewal and conversion of major components of the waste receiving and feeding system, incineration equipment, ventilation system and electrical instrumentation. Use of MHIEC's patented optimized air feeding and high-temperature combustion technologies will enable the renewed plant to reduce flue gas emission volumes and achieve stable combustion, which together will contribute to lower power consumption. Adoption of inverter motor controls will boost energy savings further and cut CO2 emissions by 3.6 percent (approx. 238 tons) per year, thus helping to prevent global warming.

Recently the number of projects to modify and improve waste treatment facilities, not only to extend their operational lives but to make them more environmentally compatible, has been in an increasing trend as local governments face tight budgets that make it difficult to construct new facilities. Moves have gathered further momentum with the central government's introduction in 2010 of a state subsidy system to promote operational life extension and enhance energy savings of waste treatment facilities (Notes2).

MHIEC, established in 1976, took over MHI's waste treatment plant business in 2008. Leveraging MHI's environment-related technologies and abundant knowhow in the construction and operation of waste management facilities both in Japan and overseas - strengths derived from the company's long record of operations in the field - MHIEC is in a solid position to provide comprehensive solutions, from initial design and engineering through operation. Capitalizing on the latest order from Oita City and its own strong track record in previous orders for operational life extension projects, MHIEC will aggressively propose further energy-saving enhancements and improvements for stable operation at existing waste treatment facilities as well as ways to reduce lifecycle costs, including maintenance and management costs, in a quest to expand business further.

(Notes 1) A stoker furnace is a common feature of MSW incineration plants. In a stoker furnace, MSW is combusted as it moves along on a fire grate made of heat resistant castings.

(Notes 2) This program, which falls under the jurisdiction of Japan's Ministry of the Environment, targets effective use and improvement of existing waste treatment facilities as a contribution to the prevention of global warming. Local governments (city, town or village) that seek to extend the operational life of their general waste processing facilities are eligible to receive subsidies covering one-third to half of the project cost, dependent on the CO2 reduction rate.

PRESS CONTACT:
Operation and Maintenance Division Sales and Promotion Department