Onsen operators oppose geothermal power plants

Japan has a lot of potential for geothermal power plants, but Bloomberg reports that many in the hot spring industry are afraid of possible damage to their baths:

“Developers say geothermal plants don’t affect hot springs, but if something goes wrong, it’s our responsibility to prove cause and effect,” said Toyoshiro Kawazu, managing director of Hizenya Hotel Group, whose family owns a 300-year-old spa on Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan’s four main islands.

While geothermal power projects may help cut the country’s $183-billion (U.S.) bill for imported fuel, owners of Japan’s 7,700 spa resorts say baths could dry up, damaging an industry that attracted 137 million bathers last year. No spas have reported damage from geothermal plants, though owners say that’s because it’s difficult to prove and reporting problems may drive away customers.

“We can’t dig down 1,000 metres to prove they’re at fault,” Mr. Kawazu said.

According to figures from Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization, generating electricity from geothermal plants costs half as much as electricity from oil-fired plants.