What Waita-kai does

Waita-kai (合同会社わいた会 / Waitakai LLC.) is a community-led Japanese Godo Kaisha (LLC) established in January 2011 in Oguni Town, Kumamoto Prefecture, that develops and operates geothermal resources under a hot spring preservation mandate. The company operates a 1995kW flash-type geothermal power plant that began commercial operation in June 2015 — Japan's first new geothermal power plant in 16 years — using approximately 130°C high-pressure steam from underground wells, supplied with Toshiba Geoportable turbines and ancillary equipment. The plant generates roughly 17 million kWh annually, exceeding the total household electricity demand of Oguni Town, with electricity sold exclusively to 株式会社UPDATER under Japan's Feed-in Tariff (FIT) framework.

The company's revenue model combines usage-based electricity sales under FIT with subscription-based hot water distribution to 30 local households and hardware sales of greenhouse-grown herbs (coriander, chervil, rosemary). Two glass greenhouses utilize residual heat from power generation to enable year-round cultivation at 700m elevation. A third non-revenue stream — regional community development — reinvests earnings into tourism infrastructure, community kitchen facilities, and local activities. All households in the Waita area are founding members, creating a cooperative governance model that resolves historical geothermal-development conflicts. Operations are run by six plant staff with Furusato Nen-den Corporation (ふるさと熱電) handling construction, O&M, and financing as the core outsourced partner.

Name

Waita-kai

Legal name

合同会社わいた会 (Waitakai LLC.)

Website

https://waita-kai.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Waita-kai is a community-led LLC operating Japan's first new geothermal power plant in 16 years (1995kW, 17M kWh/year) in Oguni Town, Kumamoto, selling electricity under FIT, distributing hot water to 30 households, and cultivating greenhouse herbs from residual heat.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Geothermal Power Generation

NAICS

Geothermal Electric Power Generation (221116), Steam and Air-Conditioning Supply (221330)

SIC

Cogeneration Services & Small Power Producers (4991)

akta.pro primary industry

Geothermal Power Generation Operations & Maintenance (Plant O&M, Performance Optimization) (EUAMAEAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Geothermal Direct Use Heat Projects (District Heating, Greenhouses, Aquaculture, Industrial Heat) (EUAMAEAG)

Keywords

• Geothermal power generation
• Renewable energy
• Geothermal greenhouse cultivation
• Hot water distribution
• Feed-in tariff electricity

Headquarters

HQ city

Kumamoto

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Geothermal Power Generation and Sales: Generate electricity using geothermal steam and sell under Japan's Feed-in Tariff (FIT) system. Power is supplied to株式会社UPDATER. Commercial operation began June 2015, achieving 17 million kWh annual generation capacity.
2. Hot Spring Water Distribution Services: Distribute geothermal hot water to 30 local households and hot spring facilities in the Waita area, supporting community daily living needs including cooking and heating.
3. Geothermal Greenhouse Agriculture: Cultivate herbs including coriander, chervil, and rosemary in two glass greenhouses using residual heat from power generation and geothermal hot water distribution. Enables year-round stable cultivation despite high-altitude climate.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Waita-kai operates the Waita Geothermal Power Plant, a 1995 kW flash-type geothermal power generation facility in Oguni Town, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, producing approximately 17 million kWh annually under Japan's Feed-in Tariff system. Beyond electricity generation, the company distributes geothermal hot water to 30 local households and hot spring facilities, and operates two glass greenhouses cultivating herbs using residual heat from the geothermal resource.

Product overview

Waita-kai operates a geothermal energy business with three interconnected offerings: geothermal power generation as the core product using flash steam technology (1995kW output), geothermal greenhouse cultivation utilizing residual heat for year-round agriculture, and regional development initiatives that reinvest earnings into community infrastructure and activities. The company was established in 2011 and began commercial power generation in June 2015, marking Japan's first new geothermal power project in 16 years.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Geothermal Power Generation (地熱発電) A geothermal power generation facility using flash steam technology with approximately 130°C geothermal steam, supplying 17 million kWh annually to power company 株式会社UPDATER under Japan's Feed-in Tariff (FIT) system.
• Geothermal Greenhouse Cultivation (地熱温室栽培) Agricultural production using geothermal heat distributed from the production wells to two glass greenhouses, enabling year-round cultivation of cilantro, chervil, and rosemary even at 700m elevation.
• Geothermal Hot Water Distribution (Geothermal Resources Community Distribution) Pipeline distribution of geothermal hot water to 30 local households and hot spring facilities in the Waita area, supporting daily living needs including cooking and heating.

Quantifiable outcome

• Generates 17 million kWh annually - exceeding total electricity demand of all Oguni Town households
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Furusato Nen-den Corporation (ふるさと熱電株式会社)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 June 2015Since the establishment of the power plant, Furusato Nen-den Corporation has been selected as a cooperating company, providing comprehensive services including power plant construction, operation, maintenance, and financing. The partnership allows for mutual benefit and collaborative operations.
• Toshiba Corporation (東芝)coreTechnology or IntegrationToshiba was the construction contractor for the geothermal power plant, providing the Geoportable steam turbine and generator system. The company supplied key power generation equipment including production wells, separators, steam turbines, condensers, and cooling towers.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Tohoku Electric Power Co., Inc. Operates the Uenotai and Sumikawa geothermal power plants in Akita Prefecture. A Japanese electric utility with direct geothermal generation operations under FIT, comparable on regulatory framework and technology type.
• Hokkaido Electric Power Co., Inc. Operates the Yubari and other geothermal power plants in Hokkaido. Comparable as a Japanese electric utility directly engaged in geothermal power generation under the FIT system.
• Electric Power Development Co., Ltd. (J-Power): Operates multiple geothermal power plants including Onikobe and Yamagawa. A direct peer in Japanese geothermal generation, though at significantly larger scale and with broader portfolio diversification.
• Japan Metals & Chemicals Co., Ltd. (JMC): JMC operates the Sumikawa and Kakkonda geothermal power plants in Akita Prefecture and is one of Japan's most established private geothermal operators. Directly comparable as a Japanese geothermal power generator operating flash-steam plants under the FIT framework.
• Mitsubishi Materials Corporation: Operates the Onuma geothermal power plant in Akita Prefecture. Directly comparable as a Japanese geothermal power producer using flash technology with similar regulatory and operational profile.

Others

• Furusato Nen-den Corporation: Waita-kai's designated cooperating partner for plant construction, operations, maintenance and financing of the Waita geothermal plant. Comparable as an adjacent service provider within the same geothermal asset and project ecosystem.
• Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation: Supplied Waita-kai's Geoportable steam turbine and balance-of-plant equipment and is a leading global geothermal EPC and equipment provider. Comparable as a geothermal technology and infrastructure supplier rather than a direct competitor in power generation.

Broad incumbents

• Ormat Technologies: Global leader in geothermal power generation and equipment manufacturing with operations across the U.S., Indonesia, Kenya, and elsewhere. Comparable on geothermal generation technology and business model, though at vastly greater scale and using binary cycle systems primarily.
• Enel Green Power (Endesa): One of the world's largest geothermal power producers, with significant operations in Italy, the U.S., and Latin America. Comparable on geothermal generation technology and project development capability, though at global-utility scale.
• Kyushu Electric Power Co., Inc. The dominant electric utility in Kyushu, the same region where Waita-kai operates, with diversified generation including geothermal. Regional incumbent comparable on geography and FIT off-take relationships, though broader and larger in scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Waita-kai