Palm oil, accounting for roughly a quarter of vegetable oil and fat consumed in Japan, is used mainly for processed food and as material for soap and cosmetics. Such uses are feared to compete with fuel. Palm oil production itself is associated with several problems, such as infringement of indigenous people’s rights and territories, forced labor, child labor under harsh working conditions, poverty, and exploitation.

The Maizuru palm oil-fired power plant is planned to be built without proper participation and consultation of local residents. As of September 2019, no details about the project have been reported to the Maizuru City Council. 

There are great risks involved in biomass power generation, and the use of palm oil is especially problematic. Forests from Southeast Asian countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand) are felled and burned to produce palm oil, fuelling deforestation and biodiversity loss. In addition to that, many studies have already pointed out the significant amount of CO2 emitted through palm oil production. A study commissioned by the European Commission has revealed that as a result of land use change, consumption of palm oil as biofuel emits 231 g CO2-eq/MJ, greater than any other material, far exceeding coal releases of 90.6g CO2-eq/MJ. The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) published a report which concluded that the CO2 emission factor of palm oil is larger than that of fossil fuel. 

The Maizuru palm oil power plant is adjacent to Maizuru Bay, which will cause catastrophic damage if palm oil spills. In case the oil tank is damaged by a disaster such as a typhoon or an earthquake, a maximum of 15,000 liters of oil will be washed out in Maizuru Bay. Palm oil solidifies below 20 degrees and can float, which would pollute the Maizuru Bay.

In addition to that, although information from local briefing sessions and information disclosure were requested, there are no concrete measures against marine pollution in the plan published at this time, which means that in case of emergency, the responsibility is unclear.

The case of Fukuchiyama palm oil plant

In 2017, a palm oil-fired power plant was put into operation in Hajishinmachi, Fukuchiyama City, also in Japan. Great environmental damage such as noise and offensive odors to neighboring areas has occurred, besides the outflow of palm oil and the recurrent complaints of residents about the damage. Fukuchiyama city council adopted a “petition for countermeasures against odor and noise problem” in September 2019 due to residents' complaints, and Fukuchiyama city council has recognized environmental degradation.

The palm oil-fired power plant planned to be built in Maizuru is 40 times larger than Fukuchiyama, and would cause disproportional human and environmental damage.