Japan

Japan plans to set up a new atomic safety regulator under the Environment Ministry by merging the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency with another government advisory body.

A natural gas-fired thermal plant will be built in Tokyo by the city government.   Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara said that the local government will get the help of private funding including foreign investment, as the capital faces uncertainty over future power supply. Construction of the plant is estimated to cost around JPY50 billion or $640 million and will be built and operated by a private sector on a site offered by the local government. The power generated from the plant will be equal to one nuclear plant.

J-Power has closed two thermal power plants due to a steam leak and a problem with a transformer.

Turkey resumed discussing a potential with Toshiba and TEPCO to build the country's second nuclear plant in Sinop.

A natural gas-fired thermal plant will be built in Tokyo by the city government.

Chubu Electric is in talks to acquire 98MW of hydro power plants from the state government of Mie Prefecture for JPY10.5bn or $135 million.

Chugoku Electric Power resumed operation at the trouble-hit Misumi thermal plant in Shimane Prefecture.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. will procure 3.1 million tons of liquefied natural gas each year from an offshore gas field in northwestern Australia for up to 20 years beginning 2007.

Hokuriku Electric Power will build a liquefied natural gas-fueled power generation facility in Imizu, Toyama Prefecture.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government plans to construct a natural gas-fired thermal plant in Tokyo, Japan, amid the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara said the plant will be constructed by the local government with the help of private capital including foreign investment, as the capital faces uncertainty over future power supply. Construction of the plant is estimated to cost around JPY50bn ($640m) and will be built and operated by a private sector on a site offered by the local government. The power generated from the plant will be equal to one nuclear plant, reports Dow Jones.  

Chubu Electric Power will construct a 16 kilometer long, 18 meter high tsunami defence wall around its Hamaoka nuclear plant in Tokyo at an estimated cost of around JPY100 billion or $1.3 billion.

Kyocera’s latest solar innovation, the Eco-Shell, is being launched in Japan.

Kansai Electric Power Co will close the 870MW No. 4 reactor at its Takahama station in Japan.

Kyodo Electric Power restarted its 350MW gas and oil-fired Unit 4 at its thermal power plant in eastern Japan.

Joban Kyodo Electric Power restarted the 600MW no 8 unit at its coal-fired Nakoso plant in Tokyo, Japan shut down after the March 11 earthquake.

Japan's Mitsui plans to construct large scale solar plants with a total capacity of 100MW in the quake hit regions of Tohoku, Japan.