JERA and its joint venture (JV) partners ENEOS Power and Kyushu Electric Power have started commercial operation at unit 1 of the 2.34GW Goi thermal power station in Japan.
The three companies, through their JV Goi United Generation, have been advancing replacement work at the Goi gas-fired power facility.
Goi United Generation was established in 2019 to implement the replacement plan. This involves constructing, operating, and maintaining the Goi thermal power generation facilities under the replacement plan and supplying the electricity generated at the station.
Located at Goi-Kaigan near Ichihara City in the Chiba Prefecture, the Goi thermal power station will feature three liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fired gas turbine combined cycle (GTCC) system.
Each of the LNG-GTCC systems will have a generating capacity of 780MW. They will be replacing six ageing gas-fired steam power units at the existing facility.
The second and third LNG units at the Goi thermal power station are scheduled to begin commercial operations in November 2024 and March 2025, respectively.
According to JERA, the Goi thermal power facility will contribute towards a stable electricity supply. It is also expected to reduce the environmental impact by mitigating carbon dioxide emissions.
The Goi thermal power station is estimated to have a thermal efficiency of about 64%.
JERA received the acknowledgement notice from Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry concerning the environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Goi thermal facility replacement plan in 2018.
Last year, JERA decommissioned units 1, 3, and 4 at Hirono thermal power station in the town of Hirono, Fukushima, Japan.
Units 1 and 2 at the Hirono power station with 600MW capacity each started operations in 1980. The 1GW unit 3 commenced operations in June 1989 and has been shut down since July 2018.
