The city built a biogas technology research plant in June 1999 in collaboration with the Biogas Study Group which then consisted of six plant manufacturers and Osaka Gas Co., and developed a technology to produce biogas, mainly composed of methane, by fermentation of industrial food waste.

Using this plant, the city plans to produce biogas from household food waste and glycerin, a by-product generated in the process of making biodiesel fuel at the city's waste oil recycling facility. The city also intends to develop a technology with Kyoto University to convert biogas into hydrogen gas.

The aims of the research project are to put the conversion technology to practical use by fiscal 2010, and to generate electricity with fuel cells using the hydrogen at a biogas plant, which is scheduled to be built and start operation in fiscal 2013 at the second factory of the South Clean Center.