Economy

Large power storage facility to be built in Wakayama Pref.

Courtesy of Kansai Electric Power Co. and Orix Corp.
Artist’s rendering of an power storage facility

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:39 JST, July 18, 2022

A large-scale power storage facility capable of storing enough electricity to meet the daily needs of 13,000 households will be built in Wakayama Prefecture, Kansai Electric Power Co. and Orix Corp. have announced.

The facility will store surplus electricity generated from solar and other renewable energy sources. When a power shortage is anticipated, the facilities will discharge the excess electricity to ensure a stable supply.

The project will cost about ¥8 billion and will be located on unused land within a KEPCO power substation in Kinokawa. Construction will begin in August this year, and operation is scheduled to start in April 2024 and run for a period of 20 years.

The facility will output 48,000 kilowatts of power and can charge and discharge 113,000 kilowatts per day. The power charges during periods of cheap surplus electricity, and the companies profit by providing power when there is a shortage and the costs are higher.

Orix operates many solar power plants across Japan and hopes to increase access to renewable energy through the power storage plants.