Japanese business building energy storage battery

Who owns the battery storage facility in Japan?

Project financing has been arranged by MUFG Bank representing the first battery storage project they have arranged finance for in Japan. Under the offtake agreement, Eku Energy will own the BESS while Tokyo Gas will own 100% of its operating rights for 20 years, with Eku Energy responsible for the ongoing maintenance of the facility.

What is Japan's first energy storage project?

In 2015, we started Japan's first demonstration project covering energy storage connected to the power grid in the Koshikishima, Satsumasendai City, Kagoshima. This project is still operating in a stable manner today. One feature of our grid energy storage system is that it utilizes reused batteries from EVs.

What are the policy settings for battery energy storage in Japan?

The policy settings in Japan support investment in Battery Energy Storage and are compatible with delivering safe, secure and reliable green energy in a cost-effective manner to energy consumers, which is our mission. Kentaro Ono, Eku Energy Japan’s Managing Director, said:

Why did Sumitomo start a battery demonstration in Japan?

Aiming for the social implementation of a new energy infrastructure "electricity storage", Sumitomo Corporation launched Japan's first grid storage battery demonstration on Koshikishima Island, Satsumasendai City, Kagoshima Prefecture in 2015, and has since conducted demonstrations in multiple regions in Japan.

Why is battery storage important in Japan?

As the global net zero transition accelerates, Japan has introduced its GX (green transformation) policy which provides a roadmap for economic growth and emissions reductions. Increasing renewable generation is a vital part of this roadmap and battery storage has a critical role to play in balancing electricity supply and demand.

Why is Gurn energy developing a battery energy storage system?

Gurīn Energy is developing a pipeline of utility-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) projects to enable greater flexibility of the grid and support the increased use of renewable energy in Japan. This includes the announced 500MW, 2GWh BESS capacity, which is currently under development.