From Everyday Life to a Fantasy World
JERA Kawasaki Thermal Power Station Night View Photo Session

In 1961, Kawasaki Thermal Power Station was opened as a coal-fired thermal power station and since then it has taken a major role in supplying electricity to the Tokyo metropolitan area. The plant was gradually updated to the latest liquid natural gas (LNG) thermal power station, and in 2017, all reconstruction work was completed, and the plant made a new start as a state-of-the-art LNG thermal power station at the time.
Today, the power plant is still working hard to provide a stable supply of electricity as an earth friendly power plant. Kawasaki Industrial Tourism Promotion Association organized the “Kawasaki factory night view photo tour” and JERA decided to let them take advantage of the Kawasaki Thermal Power Station as one of shooting locations with the thought of “getting people closer to the power station” and “making people discover new attractions of the power station” because the power station has continued to grow together with the local community. On March 15, 2024, the first night photo session was held on the Kawasaki Thermal Power Station premises.

Factories have dynamic structures that we don’t see in everyday life such as chimneys reaching towards the sky, huge tanks contain various fuels, numerous pipes run along walls of buildings and the ground. During the day light, we can feel dynamism and the energy of people working at the plant. But at night the atmosphere changes completely with sparkling buildings emerge against the curtain of night. Combined with occasional mechanical sounds in the silence of the night, fantastic scenery laid out before our eyes.

The waterfront area in the southeastern part of Kawasaki city, Kanagawa Prefecture is popular for its night view of factories. It has been attracting attention since around 2008 and become one of the local tourism resources. In a part of the Keihin Industrial Zone at that area, Kawasaki Thermal Power Station is located among many factories are concentrated and opened to tour participants even normally only authorize personnel are permitted.

On the day of the event, 40 participants toured the premises under the guidance of power station staff and had enjoyed about 20 minutes free shooting time at each photo spot. The participants fully enjoyed taking photos in their own way by looking for their own unique angles such as panoramic view of the power station building, the details of equipment, and the factories on the opposite shore seen from the premises.

One of the featured photo spots is the “heat recovery steam generator*”. The view of the facilities from the roof of the adjacent building is impressive. The inorganic appearance of electric lights highlights the functional beauty of the building which cannot be seen in illuminations decorated to look beautiful.

*The facility that utilizes the waste heat of the exhaust gas from the gas turbine to generate steam for driving the steam turbine.

As this photo session tour was held at night, we paid careful attention to detail to ensure that everyone could enjoy shooting photos safely until the end by arranging staffs and providing foot lights at each spot. Kawasaki Thermal Power Station will continue to contribute to the development of society and communities through JERA's unique initiatives in cooperation with the local community in order to remain a power station that is loved by everyone.