Tag - utilities

 
 

UTILITIES

Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 26, 2022
More data needed before ocean release of Fukushima water
There is insufficient scientific data to support release of contaminated water from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 24, 2022
Threat of blackouts drives Japan to embrace nuclear power again
The government aims to have a total of 17 nuclear reactors online, including 10 reactors that have already been approved to operate, to better prepare for possible energy supply shortages.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 17, 2022
Japan utilities get contract offer from new Russian operator of Sakhalin-2
The Russian entity replaces the project operator Sakhalin Energy as Moscow rewrites rules for foreign firms operating in the country amid global sanctions after its invasion of Ukraine.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 3, 2022
Most major Japan utilities post losses as Ukraine conflict forces up fuel prices
'We have a strong sense of crisis,' TEPCO Executive Vice President Hiroyuki Yamaguchi said at a news conference.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 20, 2022
Japan's power crunch seen continuing despite nuclear plant restarts
A total of 10 nuclear reactors in Japan have cleared new standards set by the Nuclear Regulation Authority and have received the green light from local municipalities.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 15, 2022
Kishida sets high nuclear power target that Japan may struggle to meet
Unclear plans for restarts, combined with the threat of legal challenges and the need for inspections at operational facilities, could stymie efforts to bring more power stations online.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 15, 2022
Jera to start new coal-fired power plant to ease Japan's electricity crunch
The move represents a rare example of a new coal power plant being built in a developed country, as many industrialized nations have been shutting down coal plants for years.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 12, 2022
Japan may ask people to cut back on natural gas next
The discussion comes after recent moves by Russia to transfer the rights to the Sakhalin-2 natural gas project to a new company, which could threaten foreign owners including Japanese firms.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 3, 2022
Tokyo marks record ninth straight 'extremely hot day' as heat wave continues
The Meteorological Agency said the streak for days above 35 degrees Celsius bested the previous record set in 2015.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 1, 2022
Japan enters energy-saving period for first time in seven years amid heat wave
Unusually hot weather in June has kept power demand extremely high, with supply expected to remain tight throughout the summer.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Explainer
Jun 7, 2022
Five ways to save energy this summer as Japan's bills tick upward
Electricity prices are set to hit the highest level in five years this month on the back of energy market chaos set off by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 11, 2022
Investors push Japan’s J-Power to accelerate climate action
Shareholder proposals call on the electricity producer to set new short- and medium-term emissions reduction targets and to disclose details on how to meet those goals.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
May 9, 2022
Municipal governments lose energy supplies as new providers exit industry
The companies entered the electricity retail market after it was liberalized in 2000, but are finding themselves unable to withstand the recent sharp rise in fuel prices.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 28, 2022
Can Japan keep the lights on? The Ukraine war upends a big energy bet.
Liquefied natural gas was seen as a crucial transitional fuel in Japan's gradual shift to renewable energy. But then came the pandemic and the Ukraine war, which caused prices to soar.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 17, 2022
Tons of Japanese nuclear waste may be destined for overseas disposal
The sheer scale of would-be hazardous waste in Japan underscores an ongoing move within the government to re-examine a rule banning the exports of radioactive waste.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 12, 2022
Japan at risk of another power crunch next winter
The power reserve ratio, which measures available spare capacity, could turn negative for the Tokyo area in January and February should it be a severely cold winter, an analysis has shown.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 30, 2022
Japan’s energy buyers warn that the weak yen threatens their business
The depreciation of the yen will amplify soaring energy and commodity prices that are hurting both companies and consumers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 30, 2022
Japanese power retailers exiting business as energy crunch worsens
In the last month, at least four companies halted power retail operations, as a surge in wholesale electricity prices makes it challenging to procure stable supply and turn a profit.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 23, 2022
Tokyo power squeeze easing, government says, after residents and businesses cut back
An electricity shortage warning for Tokyo was lifted Wednesday, with solar supplies expected to be more abundant and cold weather subsiding, according to the trade ministry.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 22, 2022
Japan’s power crisis was a decade in making and won’t go away
The world's third-largest economy has been running on a thinner supply of electricity since the triple meltdown at Fukushima in March 2011 shut its massive fleet of nuclear reactors.

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