Japan's JERA Shuts Down 500-MW Power Plant Due To Fire

JERA, Japan's largest power generator, shut down a 500 megawatt (MW) unit at its Chiba thermal power station in Tokyo on Saturday, July 2, 2022, due to a fire, raising fears of an electrical shortage as a protracted heatwave keeps demand high, according to Yuka Obayashi for Reuters.

Photo Insert: The Chiba thermal power station in Tokyo

According to JERA, the fire started around midday on Saturday near the steam valve of one of the three turbines of the No. 3 unit of the gas-fired combined-cycle power station. The fire was put out approximately an hour later, according to the report.

JERA, a joint venture between Tokyo Electric Power and Chubu Electric Power, said in a statement that it was inspecting all equipment at the facility that had caught fire and would notify the restart time when it was determined.

Energy supplies are projected to be limited during the high summer season, according to Japan's industry ministry, which has urged families and companies to save electricity. Authorities had issued a daily warning for a possible power outage from Monday to Thursday last week, as the country experienced its hottest June in 147 years.

Any additional unexpected interruptions in electricity generation may result in similar warnings.

According to Kyodo News, central Tokyo had its ninth consecutive day of temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit), the longest sequence since record-keeping began in 1875.

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