Tag - utilities

 
 

UTILITIES

BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 7, 2016
Tepco unveils loyalty tie-ups in bid to retain household customers
With the retail electricity market set to be deregulated in April, Tokyo Electric Power Co. on Thursday unveiled a range of new price plans that offer discounts to customers who sign up with specific partners.
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2015
Nuclear disaster drill held near Japan's only rebooted plant
Following its reactivation earlier this year, a nuclear disaster drill was held around the country's sole working nuclear power plant on Sunday.
EDITORIALS
Oct 31, 2015
Review of feed-in tariff system
Besides boosting the use of renewable energy, the government's review of the feed-in tariff system should also correct the overreliance on solar power among the various forms of alternative sources.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 29, 2015
Tepco second-quarter profit slides amid lower electricity use
Tokyo Electric Power Co., the operator of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, reported a 26 percent decline in second-quarter operating profit due to fuel-price adjustments, as its users consumed less energy.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 29, 2015
Japan's nuclear energy choices
Japan has a unique opportunity to chart a more enduring national energy policy.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 28, 2015
Companies vie for share of ¥8 trillion retail electricity market
Spend a few minutes to fill in a single-page form from a government website, and mail it in — that is all you need to register as a power producer in Japan as it opens its ¥8.1 trillion ($67 billion) retail electricity market.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 28, 2015
Kansai Electric Power Co. seeks 'loose' alliances amid nuclear uncertainty
Kansai Electric Power Co., Japan's second-biggest power utility, is seeking "loose partnerships" with energy companies amid uncertainty over the timing of nuclear restarts and ahead of the deregulation of the retail electricity market.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 15, 2015
Kyushu restarts second reactor at Sendai plant under tighter Fukushima-inspired rules
It became the second unit to restart after the government tightened safety regulations following the 2011 disaster at the Fukushima No. 1 complex.
JAPAN
Oct 14, 2015
Kyushu utility set to restart second nuclear reactor
Kyushu Electric Power Co. said it will restart the No. 2 reactor at its Sendai nuclear plant on Thursday, the second unit to resume operations after dozens of reactors were shut following the 2011 Fukushima disaster.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 2, 2015
Japan to restart second reactor on Oct. 15 under post-Fukushima rules
Kyushu Electric Power Co. will restart one of its nuclear reactors on Oct. 15, making it the second to return to operation after the government introduced stricter safety regulations following the 2011 meltdowns in Fukushima Prefecture, a source familiar with the restart plan said.
EDITORIALS
Sep 27, 2015
Misplaced emphasis on coal
The government and the power industry should rethink their emphasis on coal as a cheap alternative to nuclear energy in view of the impact on the nation's efforts against climate change.
EDITORIALS
Sep 14, 2015
End the nuclear 'safety myth'
The International Atomic Energy Agency's final report on the Fukushima disaster provides a stark lesson on the need to avoid slipping into the same old 'safety myth' surrounding nuclear power.
JAPAN
Sep 11, 2015
Kyushu Electric begins fueling second Sendai reactor
Kyushu Electric Power Co. said Friday it was loading fuel into the second reactor at its Sendai nuclear power plant, bringing it a step closer to a planned mid-October restart.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 10, 2015
Kyushu Electric reactor No. 1 set to resume full commercial operation
Kyushu Electric Power Co. is set to begin full-scale commercial operation of reactor No. 1 at its Sendai plant in Kagoshima Prefecture after the unit cleared a final inspection by the regulator on Thursday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Sep 9, 2015
Tepco's index-topping gains fueled by electricity shake-up
Japan's reform of its energy market is proving a boon to investors in the company at the center of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant disaster.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 4, 2015
Utilities buying new gas turbines to cut fuel bills
The nation's biggest power utilities are pushing ahead with plans to spend more on new turbines to improve the efficiency of their gas-fired power plants in an effort to lower fuel bills amid a protracted debate over the role of nuclear power.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 3, 2015
Tepco-Chubu venture to expand overseas thermal coal sales
A Tokyo Electric Power Co. and Chubu Electric Power Co. joint venture is planning to expand overseas sales of coal as demand is expected to slow at home.
JAPAN
Sep 1, 2015
Outlook bleak for nuclear power despite first reactor restart
The number of reactors likely to restart in the next few years has halved, hit by legal challenges and worries about meeting tougher safety standards, a Reuters analysis shows.
JAPAN
Aug 17, 2015
NRA says Sakurajima volcano no threat to newly restarted Sendai reactor
The Nuclear Regulation Authority says that the Sakurajima volcano in Kagoshima Prefecture doesn't pose a threat to the Sendai nuclear plant 50 km away.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 17, 2015
Utilities spent ¥1.4 trillion last year to maintain idled reactors
The nation's nine utilities with nuclear power plants had to spend a total of about ¥1.4 trillion last fiscal year to maintain their idled reactors, financial statements showed Monday, revealing part of the reason that electricity rates went up.

Longform

Traditional folk rituals like Mizudome-no-mai (dance to stop the rain) provide a sense of agency to a population that feels largely powerless in the face of the climate crisis.
As climate extremes intensify, Japan embraces ancient weather rituals