JERA Co. Inc., the largest Japanese LNG importer, has resumed operations at the gas-fired Anegasaki Thermal Power Station located on the eastern side of Tokyo Bay and currently under a long-term planned shutdown scheduled for February 2023.
JERA explained that that Unit 5 facility at the station was scheduled to resume operations on October 24 to supply auxiliary steam for the restart of Unit 6 at the Anegasaki power plant.
“Because the Unit had deteriorated over time and its utilization rate had declined, the Unit has been in a long-term planned shutdown since April 2021,” said JERA.
However, discussions at the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry's electricity and gas policy committee led to an agreement for a re-start to help underpin Japan’s energy security.
“JERA has lifted the Unit’s long-term planned shutdown and will operate it as part of measures to provide additional power supply capacity for this winter,” added JERA.
The utility company added that it would “make every effort” in cooperation with related parties to ensure a stable supply of energy to the plant and at other power facilities.
The 600-megawatts Anegasaki plant is a conventional gas plant and in operation using LNG as fuel since 1979.
The decision to shut the plant was taken in April 2021 before the current energy crisis deepened with the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
JERA is the largest corporate LNG buyer in the world with annual volumes of around 35 million tonnes and controls a fleet of around 20 LNG carriers.
Additionally, it is Japan’s biggest fossil-fuel generator being owned jointly by Tokyo Electric Power Co. and Chubu Electric, the two largest power companies.
The company currently operates and provides fuel for a total of 26 power plants in Japan and imports LNG into 11 of Japan’s network of 37 terminals.
