Background
During a delegation visit from Kawasaki to Baltimore in 2019 to celebrate the 40th year anniversary of the sister city relationship, several delegates spoke informally to Baltimore-Kawasaki Sister City Committee (BKSCC) about JFE, a Kawasaki corporation and the second largest steel manufacturer in Japan, closing down its steel mill on a reclaimed island in Tokyo Bay, part of Kawasaki. Koji Hirao, the Chairman of the Kawasaki International Association and a member of the 2019 delegation, reached out to BKSCC in 2020, to find out if Baltimore would be interested in providing background information for a Kawasaki municipal project following the removal of the JFE steel mill facility. Kawasaki wanted to talk to groups in Baltimore who had been involved in the Tradepoint Atlantic redevelopment project at the Bethlehem Steel site at Sparrows Point, Baltimore County, for insights into planning and execution.
Meeting in October 2021 about steel mill site redevelopment
In response to Kawasaki’s inquiry, BKSCC is helping to organize a virtual meeting on Tuesday, October 19 with about 20 invited participants. The meeting will include Baltimore county officials and members of TradePoint Atlantic’s development team along with members of Kawasaki City’s coastal area development team. The purpose of the meeting is to share the invaluable experiences by those Baltimore parties who were involved in the redevelopment of the Bethlehem Steel site.
Attendees will include: the members of the City of Kawasaki Coastal Area International Strategy Headquarters; its advisors from the Mitsubishi Research Institute; the Tradepoint Atlantic management team; development officers from Baltimore County; the Baltimore Development Corporation; and the Commerce Department of the State of Maryland; several BKSCC members; and Geri Byrd, president of Baltimore Sister Cities.
Carbon-free power generation
BKSCC is also asking Kawasaki City to provide Baltimore with new research and information about their initiatives on carbon-free power generation. Kawasaki City is a leader in Japan, committing itself to the pursuit of a carbon-free circular economy. One of the city’s initiatives is to generate carbon-free power (ie, hydrogen) by using plastic waste and food waste. This initiative is managed by the City of Kawasaki Coastal Area International Strategy Headquarters. This article is an example of this trend: globetrender.com/2021/06/19/tokyu-hotels-first-hydrogen-hotel-japan
