JERA aims to develop 1 GW solar power in Japan over 5 years
02/02/2022 09:14
TOKYO, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Japan's biggest power generator
JERA said on Wednesday it will spend 160 billion yen ($1.4
billion) to develop one gigawatt (GW) of solar power farms in
Japan over the next five years by joining with local energy
developer West Holdings Corp 1407.T .
The move marks JERA's entry into a local solar power market
and comes as part of its plan to expand its renewable energy
capacity to 5 GW by 2025 from about 1.5 GW now to help combat
climate change.
"We want to become Japan's biggest solar power operator,"
Satoshi Yajima, JERA's managing executive officer, told
reporters.
Under the collaboration, JERA will ask West Holdings to
build solar power farms at about 7,000 sites, including former
JERA power plant sites, and will sell the electricity to
corporate customers seeking clean energy.
JERA plans to buy a minority stake in West Holdings later
this year, Yajima said.
JERA, a thermal power and fuel joint venture between Tokyo
Electric Power Company Holdings 9501.T and Chubu Electric
Power 9502.T , holding about 70 GW thermal power capacity, aims
to achieve net zero emissions of carbon dioxide by 2050.
The two companies will also consider developing solar power
farms outside of Japan, they said.
West Holdings has developed about 65,000 solar power
projects of around 2 GW in capacity in Japan and Thailand.
($1 = 114.5500 yen)
(Reporting by Yuka Obayashi, Editing by Louise Heavens)
((Yuka.Obayashi@thomsonreuters.com; +813-4520-1265;))