Chugoku Electric Power Co. will suspend operations for two coal-fired thermal power generators including one at the Mizushima Power Station in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, in the early 2020s, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned. Other power companies across the country are also expected to follow the government's policy to phase out inefficient coal-fired thermal power plants by fiscal 2030, like Chugoku electric.
The two generators that are to be suspended are the 156,000 kilowatt Mizushima No. 2 unit and the 175,000 kilowatt Shimonoseki Power Station No. 1 unit in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture. Both power generators have been operating for more than 50 years.
The power company will also suspend operations for both 500,000 kilowatt No. 1 and No. 2 units at Shin-Onoda Power Station in Sanyo-Onoda, Yamaguchi Prefecture, by fiscal 2030.
However, Chugoku electric will maintain the operation of Misumi Power Station's 1 million kilowatt No. 1 unit, which is a high-efficiency coal-fired generator with relatively low CO2 emissions, in Hamada, Shimane Prefecture.
According to the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry, Chugoku electric's inefficient coal-fired thermal power generation accounts for 27.4% of the company's total power generation, a high percentage among major power companies. Even after the 2 units are no longer operational, the Misumi No. 2 generator, which uses the latest technology and has a high-efficiency output of 1 million kilowatts, will begin operating in November 2022, alongside the already running Misumi No. 1 generator.
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