Japan’s Electric Power Development (J-Power) will shut down old and low-efficiency coal-fired power plants by 2030, in line with government policy, J-Power President Toshifumi Watanabe said.
Industry Minister Hiroshi Kajiyama said in July that Japan will introduce measures to accelerate the closure of old, inefficient coal power plants by 2030.
Watanabe said no decisions have been made, but its plants in Takasago in western Japan (built in 1968-1969), in Matsushima in southern Japan (launched in 1981) and in Takehara in western Japan (built in 1983) would be the likely targets.
J-Power, the country’s biggest coal-fired power generator, may consider developing replacement plants using advanced technology such as gasification, he added.
The company has a total of 8.4 gigawatts of coal-fired power capacity in seven locations.
