Mitsubishi Corp. is looking to build large-scale solar power plants in Japan, anticipating the start of a national feed-in tariff program.

The trading house has selected Kumamoto Prefecture as a prospective site. The details have yet to be worked out, but the facility would have an output of more than 1 megawatt, with an initial investment likely in the range of 600-700 million yen per megawatt.

Talks on large-scale solar projects are also under way with other local governments.

Mitsubishi is active in both solar thermal and photovoltaic energy overseas. It has a hand in operating solar power plants in Europe through a partnership with Acciona SA of Spain and is involved in a project to build one of the world’s largest such facilities in Thailand using solar panels made by Sharp Corp. Now, it is looking to help promote solar power at home.

Softbank Corp. President Masayoshi Son has also emerged as a high profile supporter of solar energy in Japan with an initiative that has attracted the attention of Saitama Prefecture and other local governments.

At the national level, the proposed feed-in tariff would create guaranteed demand for all of the output from renewable energy projects. The government has put forward legislation aimed at starting the incentive program next fiscal year.