Message from the President

Akihiko Nagahama

President
 

Japan Electric Power Information Center, USA (JEPIC-USA) was founded in 2017 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote education, research, and information exchange on electric power issues and broader energy and environmental issues for the benefit of the general public in the United States, Japan, and other countries. 

It is important to remember that given the strength and influence of the United States and its economy, the issues facing the US also impact countries around the world. For instance, exports of US shale gas lower global energy prices, specifically oil prices. The US also serves as a good case study for other countries, despite economic and geopolitical differences, as to how policies overseas could be developed and the potential consequences thereof.

Topics of interest mainly revolve around the rapidly changing energy market. Renewable energy prices have been falling while the prevalence of shale gas has been rising. These factors in turn have created challenges for “baseload” plants- such as coal and nuclear - who have been experiencing a drop in revenues.

Additionally, new technologies are enabling non-incumbents to enter the electric power sectors, which can fundamentally alter the industry structure. In response to this development, electric power companies are shifting their business strategies in order to accommodate for these changes.

Of course, we cannot discount the importance of green strategies and policies given the state of climate change. US environmental and climate change policy can serve as an important signal to the world on the country’s priorities.

As such, JEPIC-USA independently tracks and analyzes relevant developments in the US energy and environmental sectors, such as policy agendas, electricity power markets, regulations, and private sector business models, to better inform the Japanese industry and government. However, our efforts also aim to share Japanese advancements with the US. Japan has a reliable and technologically advanced energy grid. The country also prizes innovation, whether that be in energy efficiency, new energy source development, or nuclear safety protocols and monitors. Japan’s grid is also highly resilient and can protect itself from natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and heavy snow storms. We hope to share the advances that Japan has engineered as well as JEPIC-USA’s own research findings with both the U.S. industry and the general public. Facts and findings are made available to the public through our reports and events.

I hope the facts and findings that JEPIC-USA compiles help you understand the revolutionary changes occurring in the energy industry, both in the U.S. and Japan. We cordially invite you to keep visiting our website to stay up to date with our latest reports and events.

Sincerely,

Akihiko Nagahama

President

February 1, 2024