Japan's JERA will restart coal-biomass combustion at Taketoyo by 2027
JERA, Japan's largest power generator, announced on Friday that it will restart coal and biofuel co-firing in its Taketoyo Thermal Power Station in central Japan by the end of the fiscal year starting April 2026. This follows a fire. Taketoyo is one of the largest power plants in Japan, with a capacity of 1,070 Megawatts. On Jan. 31 a fire broke out in the station, resulting in the immediate suspension of the plant's operations. JERA, a non-listed company owned jointly by Tokyo Electric Power (TEP) and Chubu Electric Power (CEP)…
Chubu Electric, Japan, plans to increase its investment in renewable energy and SMR overseas
A company executive revealed that Chubu Electric Power, Japan, plans to invest further in overseas decarbonisation projects, such as renewable energy, small-modular reactors (SMRs), or carbon capture and storage (CCS) to fuel the future growth of the company. Chubu, the major regional electric utility in Japan, announced a long-term plan for 2021. This included a plan to invest 400 billion yen (about $2.7 billion) by the end of this decade on overseas assets, with a goal to make a recurring profit from these assets of 20 billion dollars by 2030.
Japan's JERA Books Hefty One-off Losses on 2019/20 LNG Supplies
Japan's JERA, the world's biggest buyer of liquefied natural gas (LNG), booked tens of billions of yen in estimated one-off losses on its supply in the year ended on March 31, due to slumping prices, its president Satoshi Onoda said on Thursday. The losses highlight the issue for Japanese utilities, which have committed to large LNG volumes on contracts linked to oil prices, while spot prices for the chilled fuel are barely off record lows touched this year due to oversupply and the drop-off in demand because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Japan's JERA, France's ADEME, Ideol in Floating Wind Pact
Japanese power generator JERA said on Monday it has agreed with France's state-owned investment firm ADEME Investissement and French floating wind technology supplier Ideol on key terms for forming a joint venture to develop floating offshore wind farms.They aim to make a final agreement by the end of this year to jointly establish an investment vehicle to finance the development phase of at least 2 gigawatts(GW) of floating offshore wind projects using Ideol's technology…
Walney Extension Sells Transmission Assets
Walney Extension Limited, a joint venture owned by Ørsted (50%), PKA (25%) and PFA (25%), and the operator of the Walney Extension offshore wind farm in the UK, has signed an agreement for the sale of its transmission assets to Diamond Transmission Partners Walney Extension.Diamond Transmission Partners Walney Extension is a partnership between Diamond Transmission Corporation Limited (a Mitsubishi Corporation subsidiary), HICL Infrastructure Company Limited and Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc.The transmission assets hold an asset value of GBP 447 million (USD 560 million).
RWE Enters Taiwanese Offshore Wind Market
RWE, Europe's third-largest renewables group, is partnering with Taiwan's Asia Cement Corp to enter one of the strongest-growing offshore wind markets outside Europe, its renewable arm said on Thursday.The partnership is for the Chu Feng offshore wind project, which intends to participate in the next grid allocation round in Taiwan's offshore auction, Innogy, whose renewable activities are part of RWE, said in a statement.The project has a planned installed capacity of up to 448 megawatts (MW) and…
Osaka Gas Looks to Sell Spare LNG in Europe
Japan's Osaka Gas has offered two liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargoes from the newly-commissioned Freeport LNG project in the United States for delivery into Europe, industry sources said.Mild weather in Japan and a weaker Chinese economy have helped to drag the global LNG market to multi-year lows and forced Asian sellers to seek alternative markets.Osaka Gas has offered the cargoes for delivery into Europe between July 5 and 13 and Nov. 9 and 17, said three of the sources…
Japan Transfers Excess Renewable Power Between Regions for First Time
Japan transferred excess renewable energy supplies between two of its electricity regions for the first time since a major shakeup of its power sector, the country's grid monitor told Reuters.The transfer of excess solar power supplies from the island of Kyushu to Japan's main island of Honshu signals an increase in flexibility in the country's previously regionalized electricity grid as the market opens up to competition.Kyushu Electric Power Co transferred up to 1.125 gigawatts on Monday to five utilities including Kansai Electric Power and Chubu Electric Power after approval from the g
Japan's First LNG Bunkering Vessel to Launch in 2020
Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Chubu Electric Power, Toyota Tsusho, and Nippon Yusen KK said on Friday that their joint venture has placed an order for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering vessel with Kawasaki Heavy Industries. The vessel, which is scheduled to be delivered around September-December 2020, will be the first LNG bunkering vessel to be operated in Japan, the companies said in a statement. The companies plan to start supplying LNG to vessels as fuel in the Chubu region in central Japan.
What Glencore-Tohoku Coal talk Impass Means for Market
Electric utilities in Japan and other Asian countries are driving blind when it comes to coal prices after the failure of Japan's Tohoku Electric and Glencore to agree on an annual thermal coal contract that is used to set prices for the region. Tohoku Electric, a major Japanese utility, and Glencore, the world's biggest exporter of seaborne thermal coal, abandoned the talks last month on their annual Australian supply contract. "Both parties seem to have tried hard to come to a consensus but always had large difference in price expectations this year…
New LNG Import Terminal Planned at Port Kembla
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…
Freeport LNG Delays Start of Texas Export Terminal
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…
K-Line, NYK Line, Chubu Electric, Toyota Tsusho Eye LNG Bunkering
Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line), Chubu Electric Power, Toyota Tsusho Corporation and Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line) have decided to work in the field of liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering in Japan. A joint statement that LNG is expected to become an important alternative to heavy fuel oil due to its relatively low carbon footptint, which will enable ships to meet increasingly stringent international regulations on emissions. The shipping forms K Line and NYK Line…
Japan Fires Up Biomass Energy as Fuel Shortage Looms
As the sun sets on Japan's solar energy boom, companies and investors are rushing into wood-burning biomass projects to lock in still-high government subsidies. More than 800 projects have already won government approval, offering 12.4 gigawatts (GW) of capacity -- equal to 12 nuclear power stations and nearly double Japan's 2030 target for biomass in its basic energy policy. The sheer number of projects has raised questions about how they will all find sufficient fuel, mostly shipped in from counries like Canada and Vietnam…
Top LNG Buyers Form Alliance to Push for Flexible Contracts
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…
Japan Pays Dearly for U.S. Shale Cargoes
Japan in January paid nearly twice as much for liquefied natural gas (LNG) derived from U.S. shale gas as it did for its cheapest imports, official trade data showed on Friday. Shale gas from the United States had been touted as a panacea to Japan's energy crisis after the Fukushima nuclear disaster nearly six years ago. The first supplies arrived in Japan last month to much fanfare but the revelation of its higher cost would seem to undermine the initial euphoria. Japan, the world's biggest importer of LNG, received 211,237 tonnes of U.S.
JERA imports first US LNG into Japan
JERA Co., Inc. announced that an LNG cargo produced in the contiguous United States (“US LNG”) has arrived at Joetsu LNG Terminal of Chubu Electric Power Company today. This is the first import of US LNG into Japan. JERA and Cheniere Marketing International, LLP have entered into a sale and purchase agreement for the cargo, which was loaded onto the LNG vessel Oak Spirit at Sabine Pass LNG Terminal in Louisiana, operated by Cheniere Energy Partners, L.P. on 7 December 2016. The voyage to Japan via the Panama Canal took about one month.
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.
Tokyo Gas Imports First Gorgon LNG Parcel
Japan's biggest city gas supplier, Tokyo Gas Co, said it has received its first liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargo from Chevron Corp's $54 billion Gorgon export facility in Australia. 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…
Chevron: Gorgon LNG Export Plant Still Suspended After Leak
Production remains suspended at Chevron Corp's $54 billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) Gorgon export facility in Australia following a gas leak nearly two weeks ago, a company spokesman said. "Production at the Gorgon LNG plant site has been temporarily suspended while the company undertakes some minor repair and maintenance work," said spokesman Bradley Haynes. Gorgon had stored LNG and was still able to export its second ever cargo on July 3 aboard the Marib Spirit tanker, but there have been no exports since.
