Measures to Address the Heavy-Load Winter Season for FY20242024/11/27
JERA Co., Inc. (“JERA”) has, based on this winter’s electricity supply-demand outlook, drawn up measures to address the heavy-load winter season (December 2024–March 2025).
Held on 29 October, the 82th meeting of the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry’s Basic Policy Subcommittee on Electricity and Gas presented the electricity supply-demand outlook for this winter and decided on measure to address electricity supply-demand for the winter of FY2024.
JERA, aiming to avert both fuel constraints and an electricity supply-demand crunch this winter, is moving forward with the following measures to secure kW (secure power supply capacity, conduct targeted inspections of power generation facilities, etc.) and to secure kWh (secure fuel).
1. Measures to Secure kW
• Securing Power Capacity
To secure power capacity for the FY2024 winter season, wherever possible we are scheduling repair and inspection of thermal power stations to avoid the winter season.
Steadily moving forward with the construction of state-of-the-art thermal power facilities as part of planned replacements, we have already begun commercial operations at 9 units (6.53 million kW), securing additional supply capacity.
In March 2025, we plan to begin operation of Goi Thermal Power Station Unit 3 (Ichihara, Chiba Prefecture) through our subsidiary Goi United Generation LLC.
In addition, as a provisional measure until biomass co-firing is resumed at Taketoyo Thermal Power Station, we will help ensure a stable supply of electricity by conducting coal-only operation there during the high-demand winter and summer seasons beginning this winter (around January 2025).
• Targeted Inspections of Power Generation Facilities, Etc.
In addition to strengthening internal systems, JERA is working to mitigate the risk of power generation facility outages by conducting soundness checks and targeted patrols of boilers and other priority equipment.
2. Measures to Secure kWh
• Securing Fuel
Supply and demand constraints for LNG are expected to ease due to the warm winter forecast in Japan and the tendency toward high natural gas stocks in Europe. On the other hand, JERA recognizes that the situation requires close monitoring as there is the potential for a drastic change in the procurement environment due to cold snaps that increase demand, LNG production issues, or changes in the international situation.
Under these circumstances, JERA procures a stable supply of fuel by quickly grasping changes in electricity supply-demand and flexibly optimizing procurement and resale through our subsidiary JERA Global Markets Pte. Ltd.
On 24 November 2023, JERA also received notice from the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry of its approval as an authorized supplier under the Strategic Buffer LNG* framework. Between December 2024 and February 2025, JERA will secure one cargo of SBL per month to be supplied as requested by the ministry.
Through these measures to secure both kW and kWh, the JERA group is making every effort to secure a stable supply of energy.
* SBL (Strategic Buffer LNG): Surplus LNG that exceeds the quantity an authorized supplied is expected to require for its own regular operations, and that is sold to domestic entities designated by the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry when deemed necessary by the ministry.