Cop: Japan to ban building of new unabated coal plants

Spanish Market: Coal, Electricity
04/12/23

Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida has told the UN Cop 28 climate conference that Japan will stop building additional unabated coal-fired power plants.

"Japan will take the path to net zero emissions by ending the construction of new domestic unabated coal power plants, while ensuring stable energy [supplies]," Kishida said on 1 December.

The pledge is in line with the G7 target of fully or predominately decarbonising the power sector by 2035 and achieving net zero emissions by 2050, announced in April.

Japan already has two coal-fired units under construction. The country's largest power operator, Jera, plans to start commercial operations of its 650MW Yokosuka No 2 coal-fired unit in Kanagawa prefecture in February next year. Japanese power producer and wholesaler J-Power aims to build a new 500MW No 2 unit for its Matsushima coal-fired plant in Nagasaki prefecture by the financial year starting in April 2028 to replace two old coal-fired units with a combined capacity of 1GW. The upcoming Matsushima unit is set to have an integrated coal gasification combined-cycle component.

The vow is unlikely to cancel ongoing coal-fired plant projects given that the Yokosuka No 2 unit is near completion, while an environmental impact assessment on the new Matsushima unit began in September 2021. In addition, specifying unabated coal-fired plants in the pledge suggests the Japanese government may continue to allow new coal-fired plants with emissions reduction technology, such as ammonia co-firing.

Japan has operational coal-fired units with a combined generation capacity of about 52GW across the country as of early December, according to Japan Electric Power Exchange.

By Ronald Kim

Related news posts

Argus illuminates the markets by putting a lens on the areas that matter most to you. The market news and commentary we publish reveals vital insights that enable you to make stronger, well-informed decisions. Explore a selection of news stories related to this one.

14/10/24

India industries confident of 2030 renewable energy aim

Mumbai, 14 October (Argus) — Indian industries are confident about reaching the country's renewable energy target of 500GW by 2030, senior executives said at the Financial Times' Energy Transition Summit in New Delhi last week. This is especially given strong capacity installation of solar and wind projects in the coming years, delegates heard. India's renewable energy capacity stands at 199.5GW as of August, a rise of 12pc on the year, data from the Central Electricity Authority show. "India's [renewable] power sector has already grown at a [compound annual growth rate] of nearly 20pc in the last 10 years … The pace at which some of the bids are coming, we should reach 500GW by 2030," said domestic utility Tata Power's chief executive officer Praveer Sinha. A record 69GW of renewable energy tenders were issued during the April 2023-March 2024 fiscal year, surpassing the government-mandated target of 50GW. Tata Power is operating 4.5GW installed capacity of renewable energy that produced 64.6Th of electricity in the April 2023-March 2024 fiscal year. It aims to add another 5GW of installed capacity in the coming years, underscoring its commitment to providing round-the-clock renewable energy through solar, wind, and pumped hydro storage projects, Sinha added. Indian steel manufacturer ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel (AMNS) also plans to add 1GW/yr of renewable energy capacity for its captive power consumption, managing director Dilip Oommen said. AMNS has developed a 975MW hybrid renewable energy project at Alamuru village in India's southern state of Andhra Pradesh. The project will generate 661MW of solar and 314MW of wind power capacity, which will be integrated with a pumped hydro storage facility owned by renewables developer Greenko to overcome the intermittent nature of wind and solar power generation, ensuring round-the-clock power. Power generated from the solar and wind sites will be connected from Andhra Pradesh's Kurnool district via a 400kV interstate transmission system up to AMNS' Hazria facility. The firm is also considering using hydrogen in its electric arc furnace, but remains skeptical about the cost economics. "At present, the cost of hydrogen is $3.50/kg," Oommen said, adding that if this falls below $2/kg, it would be feasible for commercial use at its facilities. The reduction in the cost of renewable power generation over the last few years has also raised interest in the sector, incentivising the coal-dominated eastern regions of India to adopt renewables, said Indian independent power provider Ampin Energy's chief executive officer Pinaki Bhattacharya. The domestic steel sector, one of the country's largest carbon emitters, is looking at ways to reduce emissions in light of the policies under the EU's carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM), which will take effect on 1 January 2026. This was echoed during a session on 9 October when India's finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman noted that India has been consistent in promoting domestic investment in renewables and establishing transmission lines. But she described CBAM as "a trade barrier" that could hurt investment in India's heavy industries and hinderthe country's transition away from fossil fuels. CBAM is a "unilateral" and "arbitrary" measure, which would "not be helpful" for India, she said, adding that India's concerns "would definitely be voiced" with the EU. Her sentiments were in line with that of commerce minister Piyush Goyal, who said last year that India will not accept any unfair taxes on steel that the EU imposes under the CBAM. Coal to renewables switch "We are not on track yet to displace coal," said Indian not-for-profit thinktank Centre for Science and Environment's director general Sunita Narain, when asked about India's transition from coal to renewables, considering that coal still dominates the country's electricity mix. Renewable energy generation capacity has currently increased to 13pc of the total electricity mix, but the country needs to hit the 35pc target by 2030, she added. India's power generation continues to rely on coal because of an abundant supply of the fuel as well as its cheaper price over other alternatives. Out of India's total installed capacity of 451GW, coal comprises 48.27pc, followed by solar at 19.84pc and wind at 10.47pc, as of August, data from government think tank Niti Aayog show. By Ankit Rathore Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Erex starts building two biomass plants in Vietnam

11/10/24

Erex starts building two biomass plants in Vietnam

Tokyo, 11 October (Argus) — Japanese renewable energy developer Erex has started building two 50MW biomass-fired power plants in Vietnam, the company said on 10 October. Erex started construction on 4 October in the Yen Bai and Tuyen Quang provinces of northern Vietnam. Each plant will have 50MW of generation capacity and burn around 500,000 t/yr of wood residue secured in northern Vietnam. Both plants are scheduled to come on line in mid-2027. Both projects are backed by Japan's subsidy scheme that supports potential projects that could contribute to its Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) to cut greenhouse gas emissions. The construction cost of each plant is estimated at $100mn-120mn, Erex said. Erex plans to start operations at the 20MW Hau Giang plant in December, which is its first biomass-fired power plant in Vietnam. The company aims to build up to 19 biomass-fired power plants and 20 wood pellet factories in Vietnam by mid-2030s. The company also runs biomass projects in Cambodia , aiming to construct up to five power plants. The company's profits from Vietnam and Cambodia are expected to grow rapidly and account for more than 70pc of its whole profits around 2030, the company said. By Takeshi Maeda Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Mexico’s Sep inflation slows with energy prices

10/10/24

Mexico’s Sep inflation slows with energy prices

Mexico City, 10 October (Argus) — Lower energy prices supported an easing in Mexico's consumer price index (CPI) in September for a second consecutive month. The CPI slowed to an annual 4.58pc in September, down from 4.99pc in August, Mexico's statistics agency Inegi said on 9 October. This was lower than both Mexican bank Banorte's own 4.59pc estimate and its analysts' consensus estimate of 4.61pc. Energy inflation eased for a second month, dropping to 6.9pc from 7.9pc in August and 9.2pc in July, with LPG prices — the largest component — slowing to 14.7pc in September from 16.8pc in August and 25.6pc in July. Seasonal rains, now ending, have largely reversed the price spikes in farm goods caused by extreme drought earlier this year, with fruit and vegetable inflation slowing to 7.65pc in September from 12.6pc in August, making it the first single-digit rate since November 2023. "Despite the positive performance of agricultural items since August, lingering risks could turn them negative again," Banorte said in a note, emphasizing that above-normal rainfall will be needed in the coming months to avoid a return to drought and price spikes next year. For now, Mexican weather agency Conagua still estimates relatively heavy rains in October, but "more adverse" conditions for November and December, with no state forecast to exceed the upper range of historical rainfall. Core inflation, which strips out volatile food and energy, eased in September to 3.9pc from 4pc, moving within the central bank's 2pc to 4pc target range for the first time since February 2021. Inside core, said Banorte, packaged and manufactured goods continue to improve, standing at 2.9pc from 3pc in August. Services also moderated, adjusting to 5.1pc from 5.2pc. "A downward trend in the latter is needed to corroborate additional gains for the core," Banorte said. "This will still take some time, especially given that the margin for additional declines in goods may be running out." The Mexican bank added that within this context, it maintains its estimate for full-year 2024 core inflation to hold to 3.9pc. Though less weighted than core inflation, the bulk of September's easing in the headline was due to non-core inflation, including prices on more volatile items such as fuels and farm goods. Inegi reported non-core moving to 6.5pc in September from 8pc in August. Despite two months of better-than-expected price improvements, Banorte warned that "risks remain," with energy prices susceptible to gains amid "geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and economic stimulus in China." Still, there is "room to adjust gasoline subsidies" to cushion these effects, it added. By James Young Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Cambodia to push for wind over coal in grid

10/10/24

Cambodia to push for wind over coal in grid

London, 10 October (Argus) — Cambodia appears set to cap its coal-fired capacity at current levels, pushing instead to add wind to its grid by 2026. "There is a need for Cambodia to continue to use coal-fired power, but not to allow new projects," mines and energy minister Keo Rattanak said, adding that the supply will be "affordable, stable and equitable". Cambodia is aiming for carbon neutrality by 2050 and the government has said it is on track to cut carbon emissions by 42pc by 2030. Rattanak told the English-language Phnom Penh Post that Cambodia is expanding wind capacity with six projects in Mondulkiri province that will generate a combined 900MW. He said these will begin operations in 2026, and help to reduce electricity costs. Hydro, solar and biomass made up 57.25pc of Cambodia's generation capacity last year, according to mining and energy ministry data, while coal had a 32.69pc share, with 1.3GW. But in terms of actual generation, coal accounted for 48.06pc. Cambodia is building 265MW of coal-fired capacity, according to Global Energy Monitor data, but the government has not given any updates this year on progress with this. By Shreyashi Sanyal Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

US inflation slows to 2.4pc in Sep

10/10/24

US inflation slows to 2.4pc in Sep

Houston, 10 October (Argus) — US inflation slowed slightly less than expected in September, but still came in at the lowest annual rate since February 2021, in the first major inflation report since the Federal Reserve started cutting interest rates last month. The headline consumer price index (CPI) eased to an annual 2.4pc in September, down from 2.5pc in August, according to the Labor Department. The decline was less than the 2.3pc forecast in a survey of economists by Trading Economics. Excluding volatile food and energy, so-called core inflation rose to a 3.3pc annual pace, higher than forecasts for core inflation to match the prior period's 3.2pc pace. Today's report is the final CPI report ahead of the next Federal Reserve policy decision on 7 November and it follows a much stronger than expected employment report for September, which together could prompt the Fed to move more cautiously. Still, CPI has come down sharply from its peak of 9.1pc in mid-2022 and, despite aggressive Fed tightening, hiring has continued at a healthy rate and the overall economic expansion remains on track, partly thanks to falling energy prices. The energy index contracted by an annual 6.8pc pace in September after contracting 4pc through August. The food index rose by an annual 2.3pc following a 2.1pc gain in the prior period. Transportation services rose by 8.5pc. Within energy, the gasoline index fell by 15.3pc after a 10.3pc decline in the prior period. Energy services rose by 3.4pc after a 3.1pc gain. Natural gas services rose by 2pc. Shelter rose by 4.9pc after a 5.2pc gain. Transportation services rose by 8.5pc following a 7.9pc gain. Auto insurance was up 16.3pc. On a monthly basis, CPI rose by 0.2pc in September, matching gains in August and July, Labor said. Shelter rose by 0.2pc and food increased by 0.4pc, together accounting for over 75pc of the monthly headline increase, Labor said. The energy index declined by 1.9pc over the month, after falling by 0.8pc in the prior month . By Bob Willis Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Business intelligence reports

Get concise, trustworthy and unbiased analysis of the latest trends and developments in oil and energy markets. These reports are specially created for decision makers who don’t have time to track markets day-by-day, minute-by-minute.

Learn more