Japan’s Kobe Steel, JERA launch new power units

Feb 1 (Reuters) – Japan’s biggest power generator JERA and steelmaker Kobe Steel Ltd (5406.T) launched two power units — a natural gas-fired and a coal-fired, respectively — the companies said on Wednesday.

The launch comes as Japan faces tight power capacity amid efforts to adhere to its carbon-neutrality goal of 2050. Climate activists have blamed Japan for building more fossil fuel-fired power plants and the country recently started to add ammonia to co-fire with coal to reduce emissions, among other options.

JERA, one of the world’s largest buyers of liquefied natural gas (LNG), said on Wednesday its new gas-fired unit at Anegasaki thermal power station near Tokyo has a generating capacity of 650 megawatts (MW).

The company plans to launch two more new units with same-capacity at Anegasaki in April and August, respectively.

Separately, Kobe Steel, Japan’s third-biggest steelmaker, said it launched its coal-fired unit 4 with a capacity of 650 MW at Kobe power station near the country’s second-biggest metropolis of Osaka, to supply Kansai Electric Power Co (9503.T), it said.

Energy-poor Japan is expanding its in cleaner fuels, such as ammonia and hydrogen, and is developing carbon capture projects, as it moves towards its goal to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, on par with other developed nations.

Reporting by Katya Golubkova; editing by Uttaresh.V

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