[Japan] Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Announced Three Electricity Rate Plans in Hokkaido, Hokuriku, Chugoku, and Shikoku regions

Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO), headquartered in Tokyo, announced on November 12, 2019, that it would expand its electricity rate plans to include residential customers outside of its existing service areas in regions such as Hokkaido, Hokuriku, Chugoku, and Shikoku regions from November 13, 2019.

TEPCO provides residential customers with three electricity rate plans. The Standard S and Standard L plans are available in the Hokkaido and Hokuriku regions, and the Standard A plan is available in the Chugoku and Shikoku regions. When compared to the existing prices provided by the incumbent utility companies in each area, the TEPCO rate plans will save each customer about 3% of their electricity costs.

In Japan, the retail electricity market has been completely deregulated since April 1, 2016, and consumers—including households and businesses—are allowed to freely choose their retail electricity providers and rate plans.  Since then, TEPCO has been providing discount electricity rate plans for residential customers in the Chubu and Kansai regions, and in the Tohoku and Kyushu regions since August 2019. Currently, the company offers services nationwide except in Okinawa Prefecture.[1]

[1] http://www.tepco.co.jp/ep/notice/pressrelease/2019/1520325_8664.html

[Japan] Tokyo Electric Power Company Demonstrated its Remote Data Collection Capabilities for Maintenance and Inspection, Using an Underwater Vehicle and a Drone at Choshi Offshore Wind Farm

On May 14, 2019, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) announced that it had completed a demonstration of its remote data collection capabilities for maintenance and inspection, using a remotely controlled underwater vehicle and a drone at the Choshi offshore wind power farm. The demonstration was conducted from November 2018 to January 2019 to examine the feasibility of automating remote maintenance and inspection activities for offshore wind farms. In the future, the use of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) and drones is expected to improve the efficiency of maintenance and inspection activities in harsh environments. 

The demonstration project confirmed that the underwater vehicle was able to be controlled remotely and take images under difficult conditions, such as in murky and/or turbulent water, at water depths of ​​20m or less. The drone test demonstrated that it can take images of turbine blades to inspect any damage or dirt while the wind turbines were turned off. Based on the results of the project, TEPCO will further examine how to improve the efficiency of autonomous underwater vehicles under severe conditions, and how to enable the use of drones while the wind turbine blades are running.

[Japan] TEPCO Power Grid Invested in a Vietnamese Power Distribution and Retail Company, Deep C Green Energy

On November 29, 2018, TEPCO Power Grid (TEPCO PG) announced that it and Infra Asia Investment (IAI), a Hong Kong company, reached an agreement for TEPCO to acquire 50% of the ordinary shares of Deep C Green Energy (DCGE HK). Deep C Green Energy is IAI’s subsidiary company, and operates power distribution and retail services in Hai Phong City, Vietnam. The two sides held a ceremony to confirm the agreement at the Embassy of Belgium in Tokyo, Japan.

It is the first time that TEPCO PG has invested in power distribution projects overseas, as the company is starting to expand its business globally, leveraging Japan’s cutting-edge technology and experience. IAI and TEPCO PG will work together to advance Deep C Green Energy’s business. TEPCO PG will be mainly responsible for facility construction and technical inspection, and IAI will be in charge of the facility’s operations and contract-related matters.

[Japan] Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Launched its First Commercial Offshore Wind Power Facility

On November 27, 2018, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO) announced that it will launch its first commercial offshore wind power facility on January 1, 2019. TEPCO has been conducting an offshore wind power facility demonstration project in the south of Choshi City, Chiba Prefecture. The facility is equipped with a bottom-fixed foundation turbine with a rated output of 2,400 kW. The demonstration project confirmed that the facility can be operated safely at a high capacity factor under harsh weather and marine conditions.

TEPCO aims to expand its renewable energy businesses in order to ensure a stable electricity supply. TEPCO’s ultimate goal is to increase its domestic output of offshore wind power to 2-3 GW. In order to achieve this goal, on November 1, 2018 TEPCO initiated a seabed survey off the coast of Choshi City to examine the feasibility of building an additional offshore wind farm in the area.

[Japan] TEPCO Innovation & Investments US Invested in Hawaii Renewable Energy Company Adon Group

On September 20, 2018, TEPCO Innovation & Investments US, Tokyo Electric Power Company’s wholly owned subsidiary in the U.S., announced that it has invested two million USD in Adon Group, a Hawaiian renewable energy company. Adon Group, which consists of Adon Construction, Adon Renewables, and Green Vision, specializes in the development, construction, operation, maintenance, and asset management of solar facilities, mainly for commercial and industrial (C&I) customers in Hawaii. Through its investment in Adon Group, TEPCO Innovation & Investments US aims to join the Hawaii C&I solar energy market and develop new business models, including microgrid and resource aggregation businesses.

Hawaii has set a goal to generate 100% of its electricity from renewable energy by 2045. The implementation of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems has been increasing in Hawaii due to their affordable price and support from federal and state government subsidies. However, as the solar generation capacity increases, it is facing issues such as supply-demand balancing and system-voltage control. Hawaii has been focusing on PV systems equipped with battery storage to address these challenges. Adon Group plans to expand its businesses by offering PV systems equipped with battery storage.

[Japan] TEPCO and Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Jointly Launched a Remote Monitoring Service to Improve the Operational Efficiency of Thermal Power Plants

On July 13, 2018, Tokyo Electric Power Company’s (TEPCO) subsidiary, Tokyo Fuel & Power and Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS) jointly announced that they had begun to offer a remote monitoring service to improve the operational efficiency of thermal power plants. The service includes the early detection of abnormal conditions, remote monitoring, cause analysis, and countermeasures, by using an IoT platform integrated with data. Their initial customer for the service is the Pagbilao Power Plant in the Philippines, a coal-fired power plant operated by TeaM Energy Corporation. The service will enable the Pagbilao power station to improve its operational efficiency and reduce its future operation and maintenance (O&M) costs. The remote monitoring service is one of the O&M solutions and services that both companies would like to pursue in the region.

TEPCO and the MHPS are aiming to establish a joint business that will aggressively provide O&M solutions and services for coal-fired power plants in the Southeast Asia region, where each firm can utilize its own operational infrastructure and existing resources. In September 2016, both companies signed a business alliance agreement to improve the operational efficiency of domestic and overseas thermal power plants. Since then, they have been working together to jointly develop O&M solutions and services for thermal power generation. In April 2017, the two companies began to demonstrate a service for thermal power plants that applied a jointly developed abnormality prediction model. The model integrates TEPCO’s knowledge of O&M solutions with MHPS’ capabilities in design, construction and after-sales services.

[Japan] TEPCO, NEC Corporation, Global Engineering and 17 Other Companies Launched a Virtual Power Plant Project to Aggregate Energy Resources

Tokyo Electric Power, NEC Corporation, Global Engineering and 17 other companies launched a Virtual Power Plant (VPP) Project on June 6, 2018. The project aims to build a VPP to aggregate energy resources. In FY 2018, the group will improve and demonstrate the systems used by Aggregation Coordinators[1] to accommodate changes in electricity energy supply and demand and will examine different approaches to stabilize the distribution system.

Japan has been promoting the introduction of renewable energy as part of its measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, due to the rapid introduction of renewable energy sources such as photovoltaic power generation, various problems that affect power systems are emerging, such as output fluctuations and excess power generation. TEPCO and its partner companies will work on building a VPP to adjust and distribute energy resources at the megawatt level in order to introduce renewable energy while stabilizing the power system.[2]

This project is being conducted as part of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)’s FY2018 Demonstration Project on Virtual Power Plant (VPP) Utilizing Demand Side Energy Resources, an initiative that will invest 4 billion yen to fund various VPP demonstration projects over FY 2018. The initiative will focus on implementing control technologies in VPPs with over 50 MW capacity by 2020, as part of METI’s goals to increase renewable energy usage.[3]

[1] Aggregation Coordinators are organizations that aggregate energy resources, which are controlled by resource aggregators through VPP service contracts, and directly trade with transmission/distribution service providers and electricity retailers.

[2] http://www.tepco.co.jp/press/release/2018/1495474_8707.html

[3] Virtual Power Plants - Support From the Government (PDF)

[Japan] TEPCO Energy Partner and Panair Jointly Established PinT for Nationwide Electricity and Gas Sales

TEPCO Energy Partner and Panair, a Tokyo-based retail electricity provider, announced on April 24, 2018 that they had jointly established PinT, a new company that will conduct nationwide sales of electricity and gas with advanced energy technology, as part of the two firms’ commitment to Utility 3.0 services.

Starting May 1, 2018, PinT will begin its Rent Program for real estate management companies. The service enables real estate management companies to switch the power supply contracts of rooms to new tenants, and to conduct electricity bill payments for multiple buildings at the same time. Starting on June 1, 2018, PinT will initiate its Electricity Program for customers using low voltage electricity. The program provides customers with a discounted rate plan. The discount is determined based on the total amount charged for the month. Customers with multiple locations can pay with a single bill. PinT aims to obtain 1.5 million electricity sales contracts by the end of FY 2020. The service will be available across Japan, with the exception of Okinawa prefecture. PinT also plans to start gas sales services in the Kanto region in FY 2018.