Tag - utilities

 
 

UTILITIES

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.
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
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.
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 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.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Aug 15, 2015
Post-3/11 power-conservation goals change the energy game
The heat wave rolling over Tokyo is a godsend for Olympics bashers like former newscaster Hiroshi Kume. On his TBS radio show last week, he said that five years from now when the games are held here, they will “violate the Olympic charter,” which requires an environment where all athletes can demonstrate...
JAPAN
Aug 12, 2015
In major victory for nuclear industry, first reactor goes online under post-Fukushima regime
Four years and five months to the day after the crisis began at the Fukushima No. 1 power station, Japan formally returned to nuclear power Tuesday with the restart of Kyushu Electric Power Co.’s Sendai No. 1 reactor in Kagoshima Prefecture.
EDITORIALS
Aug 11, 2015
Sendai nuclear power plant restart
The restart of operations at the Sendai plant should serve as an occasion for the government, the power industry and the public to reassess the sustainability of nuclear power generation in this country.
JAPAN
Aug 10, 2015
Reactor in Kagoshima poised for restart despite public opposition
Kyushu Electric Power will restart the No. 1 reactor at its Sendai nuclear plant on Tuesday, marking the country’s first long-term return to nuclear power since the Fukushima crisis.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 29, 2015
Tepco’s quarterly profit triples as fuel prices plunge
Tokyo Electric Power Co., operator of the wrecked Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, said its first-quarter operating profit tripled as a drop in fuel prices helped cut costs.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 7, 2015
China eyes safe smart-grid system by 2020 to push clean energy
China plans to build a safe and environmentally friendly smart-grid system by 2020 as it promotes the spread of clean energy.
JAPAN
Jul 7, 2015
Fuel is loaded into Kagoshima reactor as first restart nears
Kyushu Electric Power Co. begins loading fuel into a reactor at its Sendai station in preparation for the first restart under safety standards adopted in response to the Fukushima crisis.
EDITORIALS
Jul 5, 2015
Electricity and gas liberalization
Liberalization of the electricity and gas industries could be a boon, but the government needs to keep a close watch to make sure consumers don’t get burned.
BUSINESS
Jun 30, 2015
Japan’s utilities and their customers favored by falling LNG prices
Japan’s biggest power utilities, emerging from four years of gloom, have cut electricity rates as cheaper natural gas benefits both the bottom line and customers.
JAPAN
May 27, 2015
Nuclear regulator clears two Sendai reactors for restart
Japan cleared the way on Wednesday for a resumption of nuclear power, four years after the world’s worst atomic disaster in more than two decades led to the shutdown of all the country’s reactors and fueled public opposition to the industry.
EDITORIALS
May 20, 2015
Too much emphasis on coal power
The Abe administration is placing far too much weight on coal in formulating the national energy policy.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 1, 2015
NRA’s approval of Sendai nuclear plant ignores Nankai quake risk, seismologist warns
The nation’s new nuclear regulator ignored earthquake risk and its own rules in approving the safety of the Sendai nuclear plant, said Kobe University professor and seismologist Katsuhiko Ishibashi.

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival