Tag - energy

 
 

ENERGY

A woman wearing sun-protective clothing in Beijing on June 23
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 30, 2025
China’s scorching heat poses summer test for electricity grid
Eastern China may face a "long-lasting high temperature war,” the state weather bureau said last week.
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability / OUR PLANET
Jun 29, 2025
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
With hot weather and a growing population, the region is becoming a key growth market for Daikin and other players. But experts warn of a vicious cycle leading to more emissions.
Workers build a scaffolding platform during construction at the Yamal LNG plant, operated by Novatek, in Sabetta, Russia, in August 2018.
BUSINESS
Jun 29, 2025
Russia tries again to expand LNG exports upended by sanctions
Since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Russian gas pipeline exports to Europe have dwindled, and shipping more fuel via seaborne LNG tankers provides an attractive revenue stream.
The government plans to spend ¥288.1 billion from its fiscal 2025 budget reserves for electricity and gas subsidies, which will help lower energy bills next month.
JAPAN
Jun 27, 2025
Household electricity bills in Japan set to fall in July due to subsidies
The nation's 10 major electricity suppliers said Friday that power bills for standard households will fall by between ¥520 and ¥691 in July from the previous month.
Tokyo Gas is in talks with at least four U.S. liquefied natural gas suppliers to secure a purchase deal, according to sources.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 26, 2025
Tokyo gas in talks to seal long-term U.S. LNG purchase deals
Japan’s largest gas distributor is in talks with at least four companies over supply from projects dotting the U.S. Gulf Coast, according to sources.
Power supply shortages may occur even if nuclear power reactors and aging thermal power plants are rebuilt, an industry organization warns.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 26, 2025
Japan's power demand may grow by up to 40% by 2050
A report warned that supply shortages may occur even if nuclear power reactors and aging thermal power plants are rebuilt.
It is believed that Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings cannot reactivate the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant's No. 7 reactor until August 2029, when an antiterror measure is scheduled to be in place.
JAPAN
Jun 26, 2025
Tepco changes Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear reactor restart plan
The firm has decided to put the No. 6 reactor back online ahead of the No. 7 unit, which is ready to be restarted.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the press before boarding Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 25, 2025
Trump baffles with sudden U-turn on China buying Iranian oil
U.S. Treasury and State department officials handling Iranian oil sanctions were surprised by Trump’s statement and uncertain how to immediately interpret it.
The Strait of Hormuz separating Iran (top) from the United Arab Emirates and Oman (bottom) as seen from the International Space Station in 2021. More than half of the oil imported by East Asia passes through the Strait, experts estimate.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 24, 2025
Asian countries most vulnerable to Strait of Hormuz blockade
Japanese customs data showed 95% of crude oil imports last year came from the Middle East.
Protesters, predominantly Houthi supporters, burn Israeli and U.S. flags as they demonstrate in solidarity with Palestinians and Iran, amid the Iran-Israel conflict, in Sanaa, Yemen, on Friday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 23, 2025
How a cornered Iran could wreak havoc on global oil trade
Iran has over the years threatened multiple times to shut the Strait of Hormuz — a narrow stretch of water through which a fifth of the world’s oil supply flows each day.
Japan sees liquefied natural gas as vital to energy security.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 20, 2025
Japan seeks gas past 2050, with AI and data centers set to lift demand
The government expects a boom in artificial intelligence, data centers and semiconductor chip-making factories to revive power demand.
Mitsubishi could announce a deal to buy the assets of Aethon Energy Management in the next couple of months, sources have said.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 17, 2025
Mitsubishi said to be in advanced talks on $8 billion Aethon deal
The Japanese conglomerate could announce a deal with the U.S. energy-focused investment firm in the next couple of months, according to sources.
A 250-meter-long bus stop roof using perovskite solar cells in the city of Osaka
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 13, 2025
Government paper seeks to link next-gen energy tech to business opportunities
The white paper stated that Japanese products are leading the world in terms of their durability and larger sizes, which are key features for commercialization.
Friday's gains were the largest intraday moves for oil futures since 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine, causing energy prices to spike.
BUSINESS
Jun 13, 2025
Oil soars more than 9% after Israel strikes Iran, rattling investors
Friday's gains were the largest intraday moves for oil futures since 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine, causing energy prices to spike.
Jera's LNG agreements with U.S. suppliers bolster Japan’s role as the world’s second-largest LNG importer, and come as U.S. President Donald Trump is pushing to expand exports of the fuel.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 12, 2025
Jera touts 20-year LNG agreements with U.S. suppliers
Japan’s largest power generation company has reached agreements to buy as much as 5.5 million tons per year of liquefied natural gas from U.S. suppliers.
World Bank President Ajay Banga at the Milken Institute Global Conference in California on May 5
BUSINESS
Jun 12, 2025
World Bank to end ban on nuclear energy projects, but undecided on upstream gas
The global development bank, which lends at low rates to help countries build everything from flood barriers to railroads, decided in 2013 to stop funding nuclear power projects.
Solar panels in Dunhuang, China. In April alone, China installed about 45 gigawatts of solar power, more than triple the amount in the same month last year.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 11, 2025
China’s solar industry gathers as gloom deepens over demand
The solar industry’s record growth in China masks some brutal economics confronting equipment-makers.
The Tsuruga nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture. Under an amended law, nuclear plants' operating period may be extended beyond 60 years to compensate for stoppages caused by "unforeseeable circumstances."
JAPAN
Jun 6, 2025
Japan law comes into force to extend nuclear plant lifespans
Under the amended law, nuclear plants' operating period may be extended beyond 60 years to compensate for stoppages caused by "unforeseeable circumstances."
The election of Lee Jae-myung signals South Korea’s leftward shift on energy policy, but despite his ambitious renewable plans, deep-rooted regulatory, financial and geographic challenges threaten to stall progress unless reforms are swift and systemic.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 5, 2025
South Korea's new president has a chance to clean up
Years of inertia and obstruction of the transition have left the country with a system plagued by high costs and the lowest renewable penetration among developed economies.
A view of high-voltage transmission towers, where the cables were cut and stolen, in Damascus on May 26
WORLD / Politics
Jun 3, 2025
For Syria, Qatar's $7 billion power plan hinges on it fixing its grid
Years of neglect have left the sprawling network of transformer stations and towers stripped as looters continue to steal cables and other components.

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes