Tokyo Electric Power Company News

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

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…

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…

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.

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.

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…

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…

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.

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…

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.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. today announced that the coal carrier Hakutaka, which will serve Tokyo Electric Power Company, Inc. was delivered at Mizushima Shipyard of Sanoyas Shipbuilding Corporation on March 26, 2015. The vessel jointly developed by Sanoyas Shipyard and MOL, is a state-of-the-art coal carrier with its wide-beam/shallow-draft shape and various safety and energy-saving specifications. It is the 3rd vessel, coming after theAkatsuki, which was delivered in February 2014, and the Soma Maru, which was delivered in July 2014. TheHakutakawill play a central role in coal transportation for TEPCO thermal power plants under a new long-term consecutive voyage service contract.

A consortium led by Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Ltd. (MHPS) has received an order from Tokyo Electric Power Company, Incorporated (TEPCO) for design work for a large-scale integrated coal gasification combined-cycle (IGCC) system to be adopted for a project to create the world's most advanced coal-fired thermal power plants. The project plans call for the construction of two 500-megawatt (MW) class IGCC plants in Fukushima Prefecture to help promote local industrial recovery. Following receipt of the order, the consortium, which also includes Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI), Mitsubishi Electric Corporation and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Mechatronics Systems, Ltd. (MHI-MS), has already begun the newly contracted design work.

LNG carrier Spirit of Hela, which is jointly owned by MOL and Itochu Corporation, has left Papua New Guinea carrying the first LNG cargo from the ExxonMobil-led PNG LNG Project, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. announced. The PNG LNG Project is Papua New Guinea’s first ever LNG project, and it will provide long-term supply of gas to customers in Japan and other countries. The vessel loaded LNG at the Project’s Marine Terminal, which is located near Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea. The first cargo will be delivered to Tokyo Electric Power Company. On May 14, Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister Peter O’Neill visited the vessel for a tour.

The newly developed remote control Giraffe Robot can reach up to 8 meters to control valves in hostile environments. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has developed a remote-controlled robot, dubbed the 'MHI-Super Giraffe (MARS-C), which is capable of working at heights up to 8 meters (m) and moving freely in areas inaccessible by humans in, for example, highly radioactive environments. By changing the robot arm and/or tool attached at the arm end, the MARS-C can perform various tasks including valve opening/closing and radioactive decontamination work.