An association of Japanese electric power companies said Monday that carbon dioxide emissions by its members declined in fiscal 2015 to around 441 million tons, partly due to greater use of renewable energy.

The preliminary figure represents a fall of 28 million tons from the previous year, said the Electric Power Council for a Low Carbon Society, which was set up in February with the aim of taking effective measures to fight global warming.

The decline in carbon dioxide emissions by Japan's electricity industry reflects an increase in the use of solar and other renewable energy sources, as well as a decline in the use of fossil-fuel power generation following the restart of Kyushu Electric Power Co.'s Sendai nuclear power plant in 2015, the council said.

The council is composed of 42 companies, ranging from major utilities such as Kansai Electric Power Co. to newcomers to Japan's electricity retail business, including JX Holdings Inc. and Osaka Gas Co.

The latest survey covered 39 of the companies that were operating in the year ended March.