A fully-owned unit of Japan Pulp & Paper Co. announced this past week that It has finalized the construction of a 20-MW solar power plant in Japan’s northern prefecture of Hokkaido. The solar park is now able to generate enough electricity to cover the annual power consumption of some 8,000 local households. It consists of around 100,800 pieces of 245-W photovoltaic (PV) panels.

The plant, which takes up an area of 119 ha (294 acres), has been operating since July 1.

Apart from its core pulp and paper operations, Japan Pulp & Paper provides through its subsidiaries warehousing and transportation services as well as property leasing. The company already operates two other solar farms in the island nation. Last August, it also announced plans to build a 14-MW wood biomass facility in Japan’s Iwate prefecture.