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Tokyo Electric Power News

13 Dec 2023

Three Winners for Japan's 2nd Offshore Wind Power Tender

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Japan's industry and land ministries on Wednesday picked three consortia, including one featuring Germany's RWE and its partners, to operate offshore wind farms in the second round of a public auction. They said they would award a fourth wind farm that was part of the tender at a later date.The results of the second major round under a new law to promote wind power were closely watched by energy companies at home and abroad, after the first round was dominated by Mitsubishi Corp.Japan's…

14 Apr 2022

Japan's Asahi Tanker to Start Ship Fuelling with World's First Electric Tanker

Credit: Asahi Tanker

Japan's Asahi Tanker said it will start using the world's first electric-powered tanker for ship fuelling, known as bunkering, later this month in an effort to cut carbon emissions.Japan, which is the world's fifth-biggest CO2 emitter, aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, while the global shipping industry, which relies on oil to power its vessels, is trying to speed up efforts to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases."The vessel's core energy system is completely electrified to achieve zero emissions of CO2…

13 Apr 2021

Japan to Release Contaminated Water from Fukushima Nuclear Plant into Sea

Credit: Santi/AdobeStock

Japan will release more than 1 million tonnes of contaminated water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear station into the sea, the government said on Tuesday, a move opposed by neighbors including China, which called it "extremely irresponsible."The first release of water will take place in about two years, giving plant operator Tokyo Electric Power time to begin filtering the water to remove harmful isotopes, build infrastructure and acquire regulatory approval.Japan has argued…

07 Jan 2021

Japan Faces LNG Shortage Amid Supply crunch, Cold Weather

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JERA, Japan's biggest electricity generator and the world's largest buyer of liquefied natural gas (LNG), is operating gas- power plants at lower rates as it runs down inventories amid rising heating demand as temperatures drop.The company joins other Japanese power generators reducing run rates on their gas plants as they compete with LNG buyers across northern Asia scrambling to secure supplies, sending prices higher.Tight fuel supplies are also highlighting vulnerabilities in Japan's electricity grid that make it harder to swap power supplies between areas a decade after the Fukushima nucle

21 Oct 2020

Japan's JERA Launches LNG Bunkering Business

On October 20, the Central LNG-owned LNG bunkering vessel Kaguya supplied LNG to Sakura Leader, an LNG-fueled pure car and truck carrier - Image Credit: Central LNG Marine Fuel Japan Corporation

JERA, the world's biggest liquefied natural gas(LNG) buyer, said on Wednesday that it has begun LNG bunkering business in central Japan through its joint venture with Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Toyota Tsusho and Nippon Yusen KK.The move is aimed at providing an infrastructure needed for LNG-fuelled carriers and promoting a conversion of ships to LNG fuels to help achieve a target by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to halve greenhouse gas emissions from shipping by 2050 compared to 2008, it said in a statement.An LNG bunkering vessel, owned by the joint venture, supplied the fuel earl

19 Oct 2020

Japan to Release Fukushima's Contaminated Water Into the Sea

© Santi / Adobe Stock

Nearly a decade after the Fukushima nuclear disaster, Japan's government has decided to release over one million tonnes of contaminated water into the sea, media reports said on Friday, with a formal announcement expected to be made later this month.The decision is expected to rankle neighboring countries like South Korea, which has already stepped up radiation tests of food from Japan, and further devastate the fishing industry in Fukushima that has battled against such a move…

10 Jun 2020

Japan's TEPCO to Spend $9-18B by 2035 on Offshore Wind, Hydro

Illustration; Credit - Peterjohn Chisholm/AdobeStock

TEPCO Renewable Power, a unit of Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, plans to spend about 1-2 trillion yen ($9-18 billion) to develop 6-7 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind and hydroelectric power projects by 2035, its president said."We aim to boost our profit to 100 billion yen in 2030 from 40 billion yen now" through the investments, Seiichi Fubasami, president of TEPCO Renewable Power, told Reuters last week in an interview.Its parent TEPCO, which has been struggling to restart nuclear power stations after the Fukushima disaster of 2011…

22 May 2020

Japanese Partners Join Asahi's Electric Vessel Project

(Image: Asahi Tanker Co,)

A group of Japanese partner companies have signed onto a project initiated by Asahi Tanker Co., Ltd. to build the world's first zero-emission, fully electric-propulsion bunker supply vessel.The so-called e5 Consortium, including Asahi Tanker Co., Ltd., Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd., Exeno Yamamizu Corporation, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd., Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd., Tokyo Electric Power Company, and Mitsubishi Corporation, say they will work toward developing, realizing and commercializing zero-emission electric vessels.

10 Apr 2020

Orsted Hopes COVID-19 Will Not Slow Japan's Offshore Wind Projects

Illustration; Orsted's offshore wind farm - Image by Orsted

Orsted, the world's largest offshore wind farm developer, is concerned the coronavirus may delay auctions for offshore projects as it prepares to enter the market, the head of its Asia-Pacific unit said. "The pandemic will not influence investment decisions and general confidence in offshore wind, but it could delay the projects' timeline," Matthias Bausenwein, president of Orsted Asia-Pacific, told Reuters in a telephone interview. "We hope that we won't see any major delays," he said.

08 Nov 2019

50 years of LNG imports in Japan

Japanese gas buyers marked the 50th anniversary since the first cargo of liquefied natural gas arrived in Japan, now the world’s biggest importer of the fuel.On November 4th, 1969, LNG was first imported to Japan. Tokyo Electric Power Company (now JERA Co., Inc.) and Tokyo Gas, through Mitsubishi Corporation acting as a buyer’s agent, started receiving LNG in 1969 from the Alaska LNG Project with Phillips Petroleum (now ConocoPhillips) as a seller.Demand for LNG and natural gas is expected to further increase globally, especially in the emerging countries. The role of LNG and natural gas is expected to expand further in the next half century…

06 Nov 2019

Japan Marks 50 years of LNG Imports

File Image: AdobeStock / © Fotmart

Japanese gas buyers on Wednesday marked the 50th anniversary since the first cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) arrived in Japan, now the world's biggest importer of the fuel.The arrival of the cargo on Nov. 4, 1969 helped transform Japan's energy system, which had relied on oil, coal and gas from coal in an era of high growth, before nuclear power was developed.But Japan's energy situation is undergoing huge changes in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, which…

20 Feb 2019

Japanese Offshore Wind to Hit 4GW in 2028

Japan's nascent offshore wind industry is expected to increase dramatically over the next ten years, according to energy analysts Wood Mackenzie, who predict that by 2028 the island country will boast upwards of 4 gigawatts (GW) of offshore capacity, a 62-fold increase on 2018 figures.As nuclear power falls out of favour in the aftermath of 2011’s Fukushima Dai’ichi nuclear disaster, Japan has struggled to bring its nuclear reactors back on the grid. Only nine reactors have successfully come online, bringing operational capacity to 9 GW last year.Wood Mackenzie estimates that Japan will face a power generation shortfall of more than 10 GW by 2030…

21 Jan 2019

Ørsted, Tepco Join Forces for Japan Offshore Push

Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Danish energy business Orsted to work together on offshore wind projects.In a press release, TEPCO said that it had been “exploring offshore wind business opportunities” in both Japan and overseas. Orsted is a world leader in wind energy and built the world’s first offshore wind facility in 1991. Ørsted has constructed more than 25 offshore wind farms in Europe and has several large-scale offshore wind development projects in Europe, the US and Taiwan.TEPCO and Ørsted will work jointly on the Choshi offshore wind project near Tokyo, for which TEPCO has been carrying out a seabed survey to examine its feasibility (announced on November 1…

11 Jan 2019

Next-Generation LNG Carrier Christened

Next-Generation LNG Carrier "NOHSHU MARU" (Photo: MHI)

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. held a christening ceremony for a next-generation LNG (liquefied natural gas) carrier under construction for TRANS PACIFIC SHIPPING 5 LTD., a joint venture of JERA Co., Inc. (JERA) and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL). The new ship, named Nohshu Maru, is the fourth vessel of the latest model "Sayaringo STaGE" type, featuring significant improvements in both LNG carrying capacity and fuel performance due to the adoption of a more efficient hull structure and an innovative hybrid propulsion system.

10 Dec 2018

Tepco Launches First Commercial Offshore Wind Farm

Japan's largest power company group Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) announced  that the company’s first commercial offshore wind power facility will launch on January 1, 2019.According to a press release from the utility giant, since 2013, Tepco has been conducting Japan’s first demonstration test of offshore wind power facility (rated output: 2,400 kW; bottom-fixed foundation turbine), which is located south of Choshi, Chiba Prefecture.During the demonstration, Tepco continuously monitored test data with the aim of confirming technologies necessary to introduce and expand offshore wind power facilities. The demonstration provided Tepco with valuable experience in operating and maintaining the facility in harsh weather and marine conditions…

06 Jul 2018

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Holds Christening for Next-Gen LNG Carrier

Diamond Gas Rose (Photo: MHI)

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding held the christening ceremony for a next-generation LNG (liquefied natural gas) carrier under construction for a joint venture of Mitsubishi Corporation and Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line). The ship, named "Diamond Gas Rose", is the second "Sayaringo STaGE" type vessel, Mitsubishi Shipbuilding's newest carrier that achieves significant improvements in both LNG carrying capacity and fuel performance through adoption of a more efficient hull structure and an innovative hybrid propulsion system.

04 Jun 2018

New LNG Import Terminal Planned at Port Kembla

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A consortium including Japan's JERA Co and Marubeni Corp aiming to ship liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Australia's east coast has chosen a site south of Sydney at Port Kembla for an import terminal, it said on Monday.The project will allow access to a new gas supply for local industries in New South Wales state by 2020, the consortium, Australian Industrial Energy (AIE), said in a statement.AIE also includes iron ore magnate Andrew Forrest's Squadron Energy. Top global LNG buyer…

19 Apr 2018

Freeport LNG Delays Start of Texas Export Terminal

(Photo: Freeport LNG)

Freeport LNG, a privately held U.S. liquefied natural gas company, said on Thursday it pushed back the projected start date for its $13 billion export terminal under construction in Texas by about nine months to around Sept. 1, 2019.Freeport LNG now expects the first liquefaction train to enter service around Sept. 1, 2019, with the second and third trains seen in service around Jan. 1 and May 1, 2020, respectively, said Zdenek Gerych, a spokesman at Freeport.Previously, the three…

31 Oct 2017

Wheatstone LNG Facility Exports First Cargo to Japan

(Photo: Chevron)

Australia's Wheatstone liquefied natural gas (LNG) project, after starting production earlier this month, has shipped its first export cargo to a buyer in Japan, majority owner and operator Chevron Corp said on Tuesday. Wheatstone is the sixth out of eight projects in a $200 billion Australian LNG construction boom that is now in its final stretch. The two remaining project due to for start-up are Royal Dutch Shell's Prelude floating LNG project and Ichthys, led by Japan's Inpex.

23 Mar 2017

Top LNG Buyers Form Alliance to Push for Flexible Contracts

© akiyoko / Adobe Stock

The world's biggest liquefied natural gas (LNG) buyers are clubbing together to secure more flexible supply contracts in a move that further shifts power to buyers rather than producers. Japan, China and South Korea are the world's biggest LNG importers, accounting for about 55 percent of global purchases, according to data from energy consultancy Wood Mackenzie. The countries' biggest respective buyers are joining together to extract concessions from producers that would give them supply flexibility such as having the right to re-sell imports to third parties…

06 Jan 2017

JERA Imports Japan's First Liquefied Shale Gas Cargo from U.S.

Japan's JERA Co said on Friday it imported the country's first liquefied shale gas cargo from the United States as part of efforts to diversify its supply. This also marks Japan's first import of liquefied natural gas (LNG) produced in the contiguous United States. Japan previously had imported U.S. LNG only from Alaska. JERA, a fuel joint venture between Tokyo Electric Power and Chubu Electric Power, said the vessel Oak Spirit, which passed through the Panama Canal, arrived at Chubu Electric's Joetsu LNG terminal facing the Sea of Japan on Friday. JERA is the world's biggest importer of LNG. The Tokyo-based firm bought the LNG from Cheniere Marketing International LLP. The 70,000-tonne cargo was produced at the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal in Louisiana and was loaded on Dec.

08 Dec 2016

JERA Buys First-ever U.S. LNG Cargo

Japan's JERA Co, the world's biggest importer of liquefied natural gas (LNG), on Thursday said it made its first-ever purchase of LNG from the lower 48 U.S. states, as part of its goal to diversify supplies. JERA, a fuel joint venture between Tokyo Electric Power and Chubu Electric Power, said it bought the LNG from Cheniere Marketing International LLP, but did not give pricing details. Loading of shale gas produced at the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal in Louisiana onto LNG vessel Oak Spirit was completed on Wednesday, it added. Industry sources said this is likely to be Japan's first import of LNG from the project. The vessel, which will pass through the Panama Canal, will arrive at Chubu Electric's Joetsu LNG terminal in early January, a JERA spokesman said.

12 Sep 2016

Gorgon LNG Cargo Arrives Japan

Tokyo Gas Co has received its first liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargo from Chevron Corp's $54 billion Gorgon export facility in Australia, reports Reuters. The "Energy Confidence" vessel carrying about 70,000 tonnes of LNG arrived on Saturday at the company's Ohgishima LNG Terminal in Yokohama, near Tokyo, a company spokesman said on Monday. Chubu Electric received Japan's first cargo from the project around April, a Chubu spokesman said. Tokyo Gas signed a contract in 2009 to buy 1.1 million tonnes of LNG annually from the project for 25 years on a free-on-board (FOB) basis. Production has resumed after the world's most expensive LNG project shut down in April due to technical problems shortly after exporting its first cargo.