Baseload Capital CEO Alexander Helling in Nikkei interview

Most recently, the Nikkei covered Baseload’s strategic investment in the Japanese geothermal power generation company, Furusato Netsuden. They reported how the two had previously collaborated on the 2,000 kW Waita No.1 plant, which provided Baseload with firsthand insight into Furusato’s community-rooted Waita Model. The model ensures some revenues are reinvested into the community.

In the recent article, Baseload Capital CEO Alexander Heling has shared how geothermal development costs in Japan are high, often more than twice those in Iceland, but that Baseload intended to apply its global cost-reduction expertise in the country to expand its operations.

With Google as an investor in Baseload, Kazuyuki Akaishi, President of Furusato Netsuden, also mentioned the potential for supplying power to data centers in Japan and how it would provide further momentum to the planned business expansion opportunities.

The article continued to explain that the Waita No. 1 geothermal plant is already operating under the Waita model and another plant is scheduled to go online in 2026 with an expected capacity of 5,000 kilowatts. Together, Baseload and Furusato Netsuden plan to add around five new geothermal plants over the next decade across Japan, adding roughly 30,000 kilowatts of clean, reliable energy. It was tied up nicely by Alexander Helling who noted, the goal is to further develop this model as it combines sustainable energy generation with strong community coexistence.

Read the full story in Nikkei (Japanese, membership only)

https://www.nikkei.com/prime/gx/article/DGXZQOUC048L20U5A101C2000000