Japan power firms focus on gas-fired plants

18 gigawatt capacity gas-fired plants.

This is what Japan's power companies hope to add in the next ten years, representing a a capacity increase of 30 percent.

Liquefied natural gas is the most preferred of the fossil fuels.

The companies also plan to add about 5 GW of coal-fired plants over the same period, boosting the capacity of these from 39.6 GW in March 2012.

This was based on Reuetrs survey of Japan's regional and wholesale power suppliers last week.

Reuters surveyed Tepco, Chubu Electric Power Co., Kansai Electric Power Co., Chugoku Electric Power Co., Hokuriku Electric Power Co., Tohoku Electric Power Co., Shikoku Electric Power Co., Kyushu Electric Power Co., Hokkaido Electric Power Co., Okinawa Electric Power Co. (the only regional utility that doesn't have nuclear capacity), and Electric Power Development Co. (J-Power).

Eight of the regional monopolies had combined losses of 674 billion yen or $8.44 billion for the six months to Sept. 30.

This was attribued to the higher expenditures on fossil fuels to make up for idled nuclear capacity, earnings.

Okinawa Electric, Hokuriku Electric and J-Power reported profits.

The questions in the survey focused on fuel use and procurement plans by type for the years through March 2013 and March 2014, purchasing strategies and new station investment plans.

With Japan's stated policy of ending nuclear energy now in limbo, the most common note sounded in their responses is an inability to set new fuel procurement plans or review station construction plans as they face a second business year with all, or most, of their nuclear facilities idled.

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