Kobe Steel, through its wholly owned subsidiary Kobelco Power Kobe No. 2, has started the operation of Unit 4 at the Kobe Power Plant in Kobe, Japan to supply power to Kansai Electric Power.
Kobelco Power Kobe No. 2 has completed all the necessary legal procedures and confirmed that Unit 4 meets the prescribed conditions, before the start of commercial operation.
The 650MW new power generation unit, together with Unit 3 at Kobe Power Plant, which started commercial operation in February last year, brings the combined capacity to 1.3GW.
As part of the national energy policy, Japan has been promoting the transition to higher-efficiency thermal power plants.
The policy aims to deliver a stable energy supply, economic efficiency, and environmental compliance with safety as a priority.
Unit 3 and Unit 4 of Kobe Power Plant are located close to Kobe City and the surrounding Hanshin area has high electricity demand.
The installation of an ultra-supercritical pressure power generation system is expected to contribute to the improvement of power supply efficiency.
In addition, the advanced power generation technology will contribute to the development of the region through the stable supply of economically efficient electricity.
Kobelco Power said: “Kobelco Power Kobe No. 2 will fulfil its role as an urban power plant operator with due consideration for the local community, as required by the Environmental Conservation Agreement concluded with Kobe City pursuant to the Kobe City’s ordinance to protect the environment of Kobe citizens.
“In the commissioning before the start of commercial operation, it was confirmed that the No. 4 unit satisfies the requirements as provided in the agreement.”
In a separate development, Kobe Steel and Japanese power generator JERA have jointly started commercial operations at a natural gas-fired unit at Anegasaki thermal power station near Tokyo.
The new unit at Anegasaki thermal power station (Unit 1) is a combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT), with a 650MW generating capacity.
JERA is building two additional new gas-powered units at the Anegasaki power station, which are expected to come online in April and August this year.
