Japanese electrical power generation company JERA on Tuesday announced plans to permanently close old and inefficient coal-fired power plants by 2030 as part of its efforts to achieve zero CO2 emissions by 2050. The decision is also in line with the government’s policy to reduce coal burn in domestic power generation. The Japanese government is discussing how to define an inefficient plant. However, JERA provisionally said inefficient plants are those which use “supercritical or less” technology.
To achieve its 2050 goals, JERA aims at expanding renewable energy capacity, especially offshore wind-power farms. It will also burn greener fuels, including hydrogen and ammonia at its thermal plants. The company plans to increase the use of ammonia to 20% at its coal-fired power plants by the next 15 years. It also plans to mix natural gas and hydrogen at its gas-fired power plants to improve efficiency.
