Akita power station

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Akita power station (秋田港発電所) is a cancelled power station in Akita, Tohoku, Japan. It is also known as Akita Port No. 2 (Unit 2), Akita Port No.1 (Unit 1).

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Plant name Location Coordinates (WGS 84)
Akita power station Akita, Tohoku, Japan 39.718611, 140.1025 (approximate)

The map below shows the approximate location of the power station.

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Project Details

Table 2: Unit-level details

Unit name Status Fuel(s) Capacity (MW) Technology Start year
Unit 1 cancelled coal: unknown 650 ultra-supercritical 2024
Unit 2 cancelled coal: unknown 650 ultra-supercritical 2024

Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details

Unit name Owner Parent
Unit 1 Marubeni Corp; Kansai Electric Power Co Kansai Electric Power Co; Marubeni Corp
Unit 2 Marubeni Corp; Kansai Electric Power Co Kansai Electric Power Co; Marubeni Corp

Background

In March 2015 Kansai Electric Power and Marubeni Corp. informed Akita prefecture of their plans to build a new 1,300 MW coal-fired power station in an industrial park on Akita's northern coast. Kansai Electric plans to use the Akita project to supply electricity to customers in Tokyo. Construction is slated to begin around 2019 and commercial operations around 2025.[1]

The EIA was submitted in September 2015.[2]

In November 2015 Japan’s environment minister Tamayo Marukawa said she won’t support the project, and that Japan should develop a plan to meet its stated goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 35 percent from 2013 levels by 2030.[3][4]

In September 2018 Kiko Network stated that the assessment process for both units was ongoing and that commissioning was scheduled for 2024.[5]

In December 2018 the plant received a positive Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.[6]

In March 2019 it was reported that Marubeni Corporation told the Nikkei media company that it would not proceed with the proposed Akita coal plant. According to The Australian Financial Review, Marubeni has yet to formally announce the decision because it is still trying to convince its joint-venture development partner, Kansai Electric Power, to also abandon the project.[7]

In August 2019 a spokesman for Kansai Electric Power announced that construction would not begin in August 2019 as planned and that no new construction schedule had been set. "We have delayed construction of the power plant in Akita from August as was stated in our environmental impact assessment document and no new construction schedule has been set,” said Takahito Hirota, a spokesman at Kansai Electric.[8]

Reuters also reported that industry sources have stated that Kansai Electric and Marubeni have surrendered grid access rights for the project, which would indicate the project has been cancelled. Hirota declined to comment on whether grid access rights have been surrendered.[8] In April 2021 Kansai and Marubeni announced that the plant is cancelled, and they are exploring the possibility of building a biomass plant instead.[9]

Articles and Resources

References

Additional data

To access additional data, including an interactive map of coal-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.