Japan’s LNG trading giant and power generation firm, Jera, said it would resume operations at the sixth unit of its Anegasaki thermal power station in Chiba to provide additional capacity for this winter.
Jera already decommissioned the first four LNG-fueled units at its Anegasaki power plant, as it builds three new units.
The joint venture of Tepco and Chubu Electric closed units 1 through 4 built between 1967 and 1972, each with a capacity of 600 MW.
Units 5 and 6, both with a capacity of 600 MW as well, have been under long-term planned shutdown since April 2021.
However, Jera has lifted the sixth unit’s long-term planned shutdown and would operate it as measures to address additional power supply capacity for this winter, it said in a statement.
Jera said it would restart the unit, launched in October 1979, on February 1, 2023.
This follows discussions and an agreement with Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry’s Electricity and Gas Basic Policy Subcommittee, it said.
In addition, unit 5 of the Anegasaki plant should resume operations on October 24 to supply auxiliary steam for the restart of unit 6, according to Jera.
Jera added it would move forward to restore the unit from its long-term planned shutdown and would “make every effort, in cooperation with related parties, to ensure a stable supply of energy”.
The state-owned Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and private sector financial institutions recently agreed to provide a loan of about $899 million to Jera to help the latter fund LNG purchases.
The loan would provide the necessary funds for Jera to import LNG as prices continue to rise and to ensure a stable supply of electricity in Japan.
Japan is looking to ensure winter LNG supply after the domestic electricity price soared last winter and the country experienced power shortages due to tight supply and demand, following severe cold weather and low LNG inventories.