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Solar surge halts fossil generation rise: Ember
Solar surge halts fossil generation rise: Ember
Singapore, 21 April (Argus) — Clean power met all power demand growth in 2025, keeping fossil fuel generation flat, according to a report from think-tank Ember released today. Global electricity demand grew by 2.8pc on the year to 31,779TWh in 2025, according to Ember's Global Electricity Review 2026 . Total clean generation rose by 887TWh, slightly exceeding the demand growth of 849TWh. Because of this, fossil generation edged down by 0.2pc, marking the fifth year in this century without growth in fossil electricity. Solar power alone met 75pc of the increase in electricity demand. Global solar generation rose by 30pc on the year to 2,778TWh in 2025, with this being the highest growth rate in eight years. Solar and wind combined met 99pc of electricity demand growth. Renewables made up 34pc of global electricity generation in 2025 at 10,730TWh, surpassing coal's share of 33pc for the first time in 100 years. Global coal-powered generation fell by 0.6pc to 10,476TWh, marking the first drop since 2020, and the first time that coal has fallen to less than a third of the world's power generation. The fall in fossil fuel generation was driven by decreases in China and India. This also marks the first time this century that fossil generation fell in both China and India, according to the report. China led the solar build-out, accounting for more than half of the increase in both solar capacity and solar generation. Fossil generation in the country fell by 56TWh, or 0.9pc, with rapid clean power expansion meeting all demand growth. In India, fossil generation fell by 52TWh, or 3.3pc, because of record increases in solar and wind generation, strong hydropower output and slower demand growth. Higher battery deployment is also a factor in solar growth. Battery costs fell by about 45pc in 2025, while deployment grew by 46pc to about 250GWh, according to Ember estimates. This meant that enough battery capacity was installed globally to shift 14pc of new solar generation in 2025 from midday to other hours of the day. Countries like Chile and Australia are already installing enough grid-scale batteries to shift large shares of solar generation beyond daylight hours, demonstrating how storage can help to address system flexibility needs and unlock a higher share of solar in the power mix, the report said. Gas-fired generation rose by 0.5pc to 6,919TWh in 2025. Nuclear power rose by 1.3pc to 2,812TWh, while hydropower remained largely steady on the year at 4,436TWh. By Prethika Nair Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Mideast fuel risks likely to boost Japan’s nuclear push
Mideast fuel risks likely to boost Japan’s nuclear push
Osaka, 21 April (Argus) — Nuclear power could gain further momentum in Japan's energy security strategy, because recent disruptions to crude and LNG supplies from the Middle East have underscored its importance in the resource-poor country, especially as Tokyo pushes for decarbonisation. Japan has so far secured sufficient crude volumes by releasing emergency stockpiles and sourcing alternative cargoes. But the disruptions have exposed the hard reality of Japan's fuel security, which has compelled the country to increase coal-fired output to conserve LNG for power generation, while it grapples with distribution bottlenecks in petroleum products and oil-derived goods essential to a wider range of industries. Nuclear energy is a price-insulated and domestically controllable source of baseload power, despite its safety issues and political sensitivity. Rising tensions in the Middle East have once again highlighted the magnitude of the social and economic impact that can arise when energy supply risks materialise, Akio Mimura, chairman of Japan Atomic Industrial Forum, said in his opening remarks at the group's annual conference on 14 April, adding that nuclear is as a "quasi-domestic energy source". Japan holds roughly three years' worth of uranium stocks, Mimura said. This is compared with crude and oil product reserves covering 243 days of consumption at the end of February, before the onset of the Middle East conflict, as well as LNG inventories equivalent to roughly three weeks of demand. Mimura emphasised nuclear power's supply stability and self-reliance, as well as its role as a decarbonised energy source unaffected by weather conditions. A 1GW reactor can reduce consumption of natural gas by 850,000 t/yr, oil by 1.55mn kl/yr (26,710 b/d) and coal by 2.22mn t/yr, according to estimates by the trade and industry ministry Meti in June 2024. Japan's prime minister Sanae Takaichi has aggressively promoted the use of nuclear power well before the Middle East conflict disrupted fuel flows through the strait of Hormuz, citing the need to lower electricity bills. The recent war-driven rise in spot prices for crude, LNG and coal is expected to push up Japan's import costs for such fuels in March-April and be passed onto retail electricity bills from June, during the summer peak demand season. It remains unclear whether Tokyo will resume subsidies for power and gas utility costs, which ended at the end of March. Japan currently has 33 nuclear reactors with a combined capacity of 33GW, but only 15 reactors are operational after passing stricter safety reviews by the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) and securing approval from local authorities. The latest reactor brought back on line is the 1.4GW Kashiwazaki-Kariwa No.6 unit , which resumed commercial operations on 16 April after a 14-year hiatus following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. The government has updated its nuclear policy to enable more effective use of existing reactors, including extending their lifetimes beyond the 60-year limit by excluding offline periods, such as those for safety inspections and count injunctions, from service-life calculations. The NRA earlier this month revised the deadline for installing anti-terrorism facilities, shifting the start of the five-year transitional period from the approval of construction plans to the date of pre-operational inspections for reactors not yet subject to the original deadline. The NRA's latest decision would allow the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa No.6 reactor to operate until April 2031, instead of September 2029 under the current rules, while plant operator Tokyo Electric Power plans to complete the counter-terrorism work in September 2031. Nuclear supply from the No.6 reactor is expected to reduce LNG consumption by around 1.1mn t/yr, Takaichi said in late March. This would cover around 30pc of Japan's LNG imports passing through the strait of Hormuz, Meti minister Ryosei Akazawa said on 14 April. Japan's strategic energy plan targets nuclear power to account for 20pc of the power mix in the April 2040-March 2041 fiscal year, up from 11pc in 2024-25, as part of efforts to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 73pc from 2013-14 levels. The country's GHG emissions stood at 994mn t of CO2 in 2024-25 , down by 29pc from the baseline year, environment ministry data released on 14 April show. By Motoko Hasegawa Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Industry mulls Asian readiness on regional, hourly RECs
Industry mulls Asian readiness on regional, hourly RECs
Singapore, 20 April (Argus) — Asia's power industry can adopt nascent granular renewable energy certificates (RECs) with infrastructure upgrades, although the extent of time-matching would depend on each country's generation mix, participants said at the Argus Asia Carbon conference. Cross-border transfers could help expand options and there are early trials to learn from, but the industry will also need to tackle regulatory uncertainties, they added. Granular RECs — able to track renewables generation on an hourly basis or in even finer detail — would involve higher costs, given the need for more sophisticated data tracking. "For project developers and grid operators lacking the infrastructure for granular tracking, the upfront costs are significant. These include replacing or upgrading inverters, cloud-based monitoring platforms, and legacy grids to enable hourly tracking," said Nesa Albeper, head of sustainability and corporate strategy at Malaysian clean energy firm Cenergi. Customers will also need to pay a premium, she added. Momentum for granular RECs has been growing globally. The European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism requires importers to submit hourly-matched power contracts if they are to be used as proof for lower embedded emissions. Industry standard-setter Greenhouse Gas Protocol has also been consulting on requiring granular matching of RECs with power consumption. "Malaysia, Singapore, China, and to some extent Taiwan, are well-positioned to transition toward time-matched, granular certificates," Albeper said. Granular RECs have been trialled in China, Taiwan and Singapore. Malaysia's power regulator already tracks generation and consumption in 30-minute intervals, though energy certificates are still generally tracked by vintage years. While some industry participants have communicated 100pc hourly matching aspirations, actual feasible levels could differ by geography. It would to be challenging to conduct time-based RECs matching in Singapore because the only renewable energy source is solar power, said managing director of Singapore-based Asia Green Capital Edgare Kerkwijk. "Between 12-2pm the RECs price could be lower, but in periods when there is less solar energy generation, such as 8-10am or 3-5pm, supply will drop and RECs prices will go up," Kerkwijk said. There is some battery storage but regulators are hesitant to install more in the system, he added. It is easier to match at a higher percentage in countries with biogas, hydro, wind, solar and more batteries, Kerkwijk said. Singapore's ambition to import renewable energy from southeast Asian countries could expand the types of technology available. Some of these projects include wind energy form Vietnam, hydropower from Malaysia and solar from Indonesia. In addition to that, Singapore's work on a cross-border RECs framework also mentions the possibility of hourly tracking. A 50MW renewable energy trade from Malaysia to Singapore, via Malaysia's Enegem programme, was conducted on the I-Track registry and involves power dispatch on a half-hourly basis, Albeper noted. "This transaction offers many valuable lessons for future implementations," she said. Still, there are open questions on the ownership of RECs from cross-border transactions in Southeast Asia. "If we import solar from say Batam, Indonesia, would those certificates come to Singapore? Or would the Indonesian government say, 'these certificates are ours, we will sell you electrons but not renewables?'" said Kerkwijk. By Liang Lei Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Earthquake hits northeast Japan; impact limited: Update
Earthquake hits northeast Japan; impact limited: Update
Updates with information on nuclear, thermal power plants Tokyo, 20 April (Argus) — A 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck northeastern Japan today, but no major damage has been reported so far to domestic refineries, nuclear power plants or thermal power facilities, according to industry sources contacted by Argus . The earthquake occurred offshore Iwate prefecture at around 16:52 Japan time (07:52 GMT), according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The agency issued tsunami alerts for the Pacific coastal areas of Iwate, Aomori and Hokkaido prefectures. An 80cm tsunami was observed in Iwate, while smaller waves were recorded in Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate and Miyagi. Nuclear facilities not affected The earthquake did not impact nuclear power facilities. Tohoku Electric Power's Onagawa No. 2 reactor in Miyagi prefecture was unaffected, as it has been shut for a regular turnaround since 14 January. Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority said no abnormalities were detected at Onagawa No. 2 or Higashidori No.1 and Onagawa No.3 reactors, which have remained offline since the Fukushima disaster. The Onagawa No.1 reactor was undergoing decommissioning. A Japanese government spokesperson said no abnormalities were reported at nuclear facilities near the epicentre following the earthquake and subsequent tsunami. Some minor disruptions to lifeline infrastructure were reported, including power outages affecting around 100 households in the Tohoku region, as well as partial suspensions of Shinkansen services and road closures on some expressways. Thermal power generation has also remained unaffected so far. All thermal power plants in the Tohoku region are operating normally, according to the Japan Electric Power Exchange. The electricity reserve margin in the region stood at above 9pc at 20:00-20:30 Japan time on 20 April, exceeding the 8pc level generally considered necessary for stable supply. Refineries not damaged No damage has been reported at oil facilities. Refiners including Idemitsu, Eneos and Cosmo Oil told Argus that their refineries were not affected by the earthquake. Japanese refiner Idemitsu has a 140,000 b/d refinery in Hokkaido prefecture which was not impacted by the earthquake, Idemitsu said, adding that the Hokkaido refinery has continued operations and the refiner's other refineries were not affected either. Fellow refiner Eneos also has a 145,000 b/d Sendai refinery in the Miyagi prefecture which has been halted since 16 April after a gas leak. Eneos reported no damage to its refineries, including the Sendai refinery. Japanese refiner Cosmo Oil's refineries were also not affected, the firm said. By Fumito Nagase, Kohei Yamamoto, Nanami Oki, Reina Maeda Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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