Kyushu Electric Power secures power supply until conversion to renewable energy Application for extension of Sendai nuclear power plant
Kyushu Electric Power Co. has applied to the government to extend the operation of Sendai Nuclear Power Station Units 1 and 2 (Satsuma Sendai City, Kagoshima Prefecture). The company aims to establish a new power source configuration centered on renewable energy by 2050, and would like to continue using it as a power source to support the transition period until then. The government is considering abolishing the operating period of up to 60 years. We aim to extend the life of the nuclear power plant while keeping an eye on that movement.
Sendai Nuclear Power Plant (Satsuma Sendai City, Kagoshima Prefecture), which has applied for an extension of operation
On the morning of the 12th, President Kazuhiro Ikebe held a meeting with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida as the head of the industry group. After the meeting, Mr. Ikebe revealed the prime minister's intentions, saying, "They wanted the entire industry to work on the nuclear power issue, based on the premise of ensuring safety and gaining the understanding of the local community." A few hours later, Kyuden applied for an extension of its first nuclear power plant operation.
The application itself was a default route. Since October 2021, a "special inspection" has been carried out to examine the state of deterioration of the reactor containment vessel, which is necessary for the application, and has been repeatedly examined. The Sendai nuclear power plant has invested close to 500 billion yen in safety measures to meet the standards. The stock market has already factored in the extension, and the stock price on the 13th, the day after the application, ended trading 2% lower than the previous day, and the reaction was weak.
The power supply situation in the Kyushu area also contributed to the decision to extend. Solar power generation is abundant due to the good sunshine, and the ratio of renewable energy to the total power supply in this area is 37% in FY 2009, more than 10 points higher than other areas.
On the other hand, the amount of power generated by solar and wind power generation varies depending on the weather. To stably supply the required amount of electricity at all times, a large storage battery is required to store electricity, but practical use is still in progress. It will take some time before renewable energy becomes the main power source.
Thermal power, which is easy to adjust, accounts for about the same level as renewable energy (38%). However, in addition to emitting carbon dioxide (CO2), many of the power plants owned by Kyuden are aging.
In 2021, Kyuden became the first major electric power company in Japan to declare that it would achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, but in order to achieve this, it will need to increase its use of renewable energy. Although the power source composition ratio is low at about 12% in the area, nuclear power has a large presence. Closing the Sendai nuclear power plant could raise concerns about stable supply and make it difficult to reduce CO2 emissions. A company executive also revealed his true intentions, saying, "We can't lose nuclear power any more."
