Japanese gas utility Tokyo Gas is delaying the commissioning of its Sodegaura combined-cycle gas-turbine (CCGT) power plant by around two years to the April 2030-March 2031 fiscal year, as it needs extra time to redo an environmental assessment.
It now aims to begin operations of the 2GW CCGT plant at Sodegaura, east of Tokyo, sometime during 2030-31 instead of the previous target of 2028-29. But the company aims to start up the new plant as early as possible before 2030-31. It halted environmental reviews for the new power plant on 11 November, after it had decided to change the condenser cooling method to air cooling from the previous sea water cooling. The company will redo the environmental assessment based on the revision.
Tokyo Gas is developing the Sodegaura CCGT project through its 100pc-owned subsidiary Chiba Sodegaura Power. Fellow power utility Kyushu Electric Power exited the venture in June because of energy market turmoil.
The Sodegaura power plant was originally planned as a 2GW coal-fired project by Tokyo Gas, Kyushu and refiner Idemitsu. But the project switched to gas in January 2019 when Idemitsu withdrew from the project.
Japanese demand for gas-fired generation is expected to remain firm, despite the country's 2050 decarbonisation push. The government has included gas-fired plants in its zero emissions power capacity expansion goal, subject to a gradual switch from gas to cleaner energy sources such as hydrogen and ammonia, as an immediate measure to ensure stable power supplies.
