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Tokyo Gas held a ceremony on Thursday to mark the completion of the plant.
According to Tokyo Gas, the plant consists of ten gas engines, each with a capacity of about 9,780 kW for a total of 97,800 kW.
The firm said the plant is capable of flexible power output adjustment by taking advantage of the high start-up responsiveness of gas engines.
It will utilize the plant to respond to market volatility (fluctuations in electricity market prices) caused by fluctuations in renewable energy output and electricity demand, and to contribute to grid stabilization and the expansion of renewable energy use.
Finland’s Wartsila said in a separate statement later on Thursday that the 100 MW Sodegaura power plant, operating with ten Wartsila 34SG engines, had been handed over to Tokyo Gas Engineering Solutions (TGES), a unit of Tokyo Gas.
The firm said the engines provide the needed flexibility to enable critical grid balancing as Japan strives to increase its share of renewable energy.
The plant was built by TGES on behalf of its parent company Tokyo Gas, who will own and operate the facility.
Tokyo Gas said in its new medium-term management plan this week that it aims to expand its liquefied natural gas trading business further, including in the US.
In Japan, Tokyo Gas owns four LNG import terminals (Sodegaura, Negishi, Ohgishima, and Hitachi), and it buys LNG from various countries in the world, including the US, Qatar, Malaysia, etc.
In 2020, Tokyo Gas formed its LNG trading unit, TG Global Trading, to boost LNG trading volumes.
The firm said in the medium-term report that it aims to expand LNG trading by leveraging its existing assets such as current supply contracts, and boost value proposition through close communications with its business partners.