Most people coming through an airport these days are likely to be thinking, at least in passing, about the planet-warming carbon dioxide that their travel will generate.
“Aviation is considered a non-clean industry,” says Mathieu Boutitie, Chief Technical Officer at Kansai Airports, “and therefore we need to do more than anyone else to reduce our CO2 emissions.” This has long been the attitude at Kansai Airports, the joint venture between ORIX and French infrastructure group VINCI, that operates the three main airports in Japan’s western Kansai region: Kansai International Airport, Osaka International Airport (Itami) and Kobe Airport.
The company actively manages its energy consumption, trying to reduce it wherever possible through efficiency measures, optimized routines and by installing the latest equipment, such as modern heating and ventilation (HVAC) systems.
As a result of such measures, Mr. Boutitie proudly points out, KIX, ITAMI, and KOBE are the first Japanese airports to have received Level 4 ACA (Airport Carbon Accreditation) from the ACI (Airports Council International), an international organization of airport authorities. This is the third-highest level achievable from a program that has certified almost 550 airports over the past 15 years.
Walking on sunshine
Now the group is tackling the other side of the equation: energy production. In November 2023, Kansai Airports signed one of Japan’s largest corporate power purchase agreements (PPA) with the Energy & Environmental division of its major shareholder, ORIX, for the supply of clean renewable power.
Under the deal, ORIX will install over 40,000 solar panels on flat, open land near the runways at KIX and on the roof of a cargo building there, as well as on the roof of the passenger terminal at ITAMI. At peak production, these solar farms will be able to generate over 23 Megawatts, supplying a sixth of Kansai Airports’ annual power consumption and reducing its CO2 emissions by around 12,300 tons.
“As one of Japan’s leading developers of renewable energy, with over 970MW installed in Japan, ORIX has huge expertise that we can leverage to our advantage – that is a great synergy and the mark of a true partnership,” says Yoshiyuki Yamaya, CEO of Kansai Airports. This expertise goes extends beyond installation and operation to areas such as applying for government subsidies for renewable energy facilities, explains Mr. Boutitie.
With the support of ORIX, Kansai Airports intends to keep expanding its solar generation: phase two of this project is expected to raise output more than phase one, enabling the group to raise the amount of ‘self-consumption’ of energy.
Putting it all together then, the new solar PPA will help Kansai Airports to significantly reduce carbon emissions. And most importantly, it will help to future proof the airport group in an era of climate change, allowing it to focus on its core mission of delighting the travelers that pass through its gates.
