LNG expands share of Jera power output

LNG expanded its share of Japanese utility Jera's power generation mix in the final quarter of 2020.

LNG accounted for 83pc of the electricity that Jera produced in October-December, up from 81pc a year earlier. The firm's total power sales edged up to 66.5TWh from 66.4TWh over the same period.

The rebound in power generation in the fourth quarter of last year only partly offset the drop in power output the company reported in the first two quarters of its financial year, which runs from April to March. Jera's combined power generation fell to 174.7TWh in April-December from 197.7TWh a year earlier, but LNG continued to expand its share of the company's power generation mix throughout the period (see chart).

Jera is the largest utility in Japan, with 77GW of installed capacity, which is equivalent to approximately 27pc of the country's total power generation fleet. About 71pc of Jera's power generation capacity is gas-fired, with the balance split broadly evenly between oil and coal. But Jera has made little use of its oil-fired plants in recent months and has also reduced its coal-fired generation. The firm announced in October that it plans to decommission all of its inefficient coal-fired plants by 2030.

By Antonio Peciccia

Jera power generation mix TWh