Key Point of President's Regular Press Conference

Key Point of President's Regular Press Conference

September 2017 Regular Press Conference : President Katsuno's Message

September 26, 2017
Chubu Electric Power Co.,Inc.

  • First, I want to talk about events that occurred in a wide area both on September 20 and 22, which involved sparks being produced from drop wire that sends electricity to customers’ homes.
  • Salt and impurities brought by strong winds of Typhoon No. 18 had adhered to the drop wire’s coating, causing rainwater to infiltrate into scratches and cracks of the drop wire. That reduced the wire’s insulation and led to producing sparks.
  • I take this opportunity to apologize for having generated concern and inconvenience among many customers.
  • Today I will be discussing the following matters:
    • Power stations supported by local residents
    • Rollout of new household services linked to everyday life
    • Electrical power demand results for the summer
    • Technofair 2017

Power stations supported by local residents

  • I would like to talk about the following as topics related to Chubu Electric Power’s power stations:
    • Hamaoka Nuclear Power Station marking 50 years since its construction being accepted
    • Ikawa Hydroelectric Power Station marking 60 years since it started commercial operations
    • Nishi-Nagoya Thermal Power Station nearing its commencement of commercial operations
  • Hamaoka Nuclear Power Station is reaching its half-century landmark since former Hamaoka Town decided to accept the construction of the Station’s Unit 1 in September 1967.
  • Taking account of land surveys done to choose the site of the nuclear power station, local residents of former Hamaoka Town and other areas have been offering significant support to Chubu Electric Power for well over 50 years since before even its acceptance decision.
  • The Company has so far constructed five plants. I take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to residents of Omaezaki City, among others, for their long years of understanding and cooperating in power station construction and administration efforts.
  • To celebrate this milestone, Chubu Electric Power is carrying out the following commemorative events:
    • Communication initiative to express appreciation by having Hamaoka Nuclear Power Station employees visit all customer homes in Omaezaki City
    • Photo panel exhibition at Hamaoka Nuclear Exhibition Center themed under the Station’s half-century history
  • In addition to steadily promoting physical safety improvement measures, Hamaoka Nuclear Power Station is fully working on non-physical steps. That includes developing emergency preparedness systems, enhancing drills, and strengthening ties with local governments on resident evacuation plans and other emergency preparedness matters.
  • Moreover, efforts are being maintained for steadfastly improving skills and proficiency of operation and maintenance.
  • By thoroughly illustrating safety improvement measures and other initiatives related to the Station to local residents and relevant parties, and seeking for understanding, Chubu Electric Power will make preparations for continuously using Hamaoka Nuclear Power Station as a key power source.
  • I now would like to talk about Ikawa Hydroelectric Power Station, which is in Aoi-ku, the City of Shizuoka. The Station is commemorating 60 years since starting commercial operations.
  • Ikawa Hydroelectric Power Station went into commercial operations in September 1957. Ikawa dam, where the Station is at, stands at the middle reaches of Ōi River and is the first hollow gravity concrete dam built in Japan.
  • Chubu Electric Power decided to make the dam’s internal structure hollow aiming to use less concrete during a time of soaring concrete prices.
  • The Station managed to turn sixty years old without major issues, thanks to the understanding and cooperation of the City of Shizuoka’s Ikawa area, Kawanehon-cho, and Ōi River region residents. I would like to extend my appreciation to them.
  • The Company seeks to use Ikawa Hydroelectric Power Station over a long term to “minimize wastage of our precious water,” as I stated in my presentation in July, taking advantage of the Station as an eco-friendly and important hydraulic power plant that’s based on valuable, fully-domestic energy.
  • Finally, I move on to Nishi-Nagoya Thermal Power Station No. 7-1, which is now entering its final commissioning stage.
  • Nishi-Nagoya Thermal Power Station Group No. 7 is comprised of two blocks, No. 7-1 and No. 7-2. Its gross output reaches 2,376,000 kW, with world-class thermal efficiency of around 62 percent. Group No. 7 is the Company’s state-of-the-art LNG thermal power.
  • Construction work has been successful thus far, owing to the understanding of and cooperation from Tobishima Village, Chita City and other local residents, as well as relevant parties. I wish to express my deep appreciation to them.
  • So far, I have covered topics relative to nuclear, hydraulic, and thermal power stations. Chubu Electric Power seeks to build a well-balanced power ratio that does not overly rely on particular sources or fuel, in view of the S (safety) +3E (stable energy supply, environmental conservation, economic efficiency) idea described in the current Basic Energy Plan.
  • Chubu Electric Power will bear in mind that not only its construction and administration of power stations but its electricity and gas businesses also rely on support from local residents and relevant parties. The Company will make efforts to seek for continued understanding of and cooperation in Chubu Electric Power’s operations.

Rollout of new household services linked to everyday life

  • The next topic is about the rollout of new household services linked to everyday life.
  • In the face of the full electric power and gas retail deregulation, Chubu Electric Power is currently developing new services that can bring convenience and comfort to customers’ lives, in addition to cost-effective and readily understandable rate menus that are based on customer needs.
  • Many customers have favorably received Chubu Electric Power’s initiatives. As of September 13, applications involving household electric power sales stood at:
    • Some 1,200,000 for new rate menus in the Chubu area
    • Some 120,000 in the greater Tokyo area, gained through a variety of routes

    These are positive responses.

  • Meanwhile, household gas sales have drawn 63,000 customer applications as of September 24. The Company sees this as a good start.
  • Chubu Electric Power decided to offer new services based on the belief that it needs to keep suggesting appealing services as a daily life coordinator, both to satisfy our customers and serve as the firm of choice for customers.
  • I would like to share key items from the new services and overview them.
  • First is the Family Point Discount initiative.
  • This is an undertaking to grant KatEne points monthly on a contract basis, if family members living apart from one another are each signed up with Chubu Electric Power.
  • The service is to start in December. Customers not only in the Chubu area but also in the capital region are eligible for signing up.
  • Customers have been requesting to make it possible to accumulate more KatEne points.
  • To cater to that demand, Chubu Electric Power is looking into details of a rate-linked point service in which points are automatically accumulated corresponding to monthly electricity and gas rate payments. This system is set to be introduced next March.
  • The second is the introduction of an electricity repair service. This is a new initiative in which Chubu Electric Power sends repair staff when customers experience blackout from issues in the internal wiring of homes, depending on details of the notified trouble.
  • This service is to start from October in the area covered by Nagoya Regional Office on a 24/7 basis. It is planned to be rolled out to the entire Chubu area around next January.
  • The fourth initiative is the household gas campaign.
  • To coincide with the seasons when gas usage amounts go up, the Company will roll out a new gas contract sign-up campaign. In keeping with this campaign initiative, the Company also currently has plans to organize a customer-thanking event at eight venues in Aichi, Gifu, and Mie, including Midland Square.
  • Chubu Electric Power’s goal for household gas sales is to achieve 200,000 applications in five years. But the Company will continue marketing efforts by setting a new goal, i.e. achieving 100,000 applications by the end of this fiscal year, so that customers can get familiar with Chubu Electric Power’s gas business.
  • Chubu Electric Power hopes to have as many people as possible sign up to the Company’s gas menu during the campaign term starting in October.
  • The last initiative is NARUHODO! CHUDEN: a new promotion framework replacing the previous CHUBU DENRYOKU HAJIMERU BU initiative.
  • Actress Miki Maya and comedian Tomochika play the parts of customers in the NARUHODO! CHUDEN initiative: this is a serial promotion effort to convey, in an easy-to-understand manner, Chubu Electric Power’s stance of offering services that cater to customer demands.
  • NARUHODO! CHUDEN will be available from next month through TV commercials and various other opportunities. Please look forward to seeing them.
  • Increased competition is expected to come with Tokyo Electric Power Company and Toho Gas cutting their rates in the Chubu area and also Kansai Electric Power Company lowering its rates in both the greater Tokyo area and in the Kansai area.
  • As a leading total energy service corporation group, Chubu Electric Power Group will continue to provide customers with better-than expected services ahead of competitors to keep serving as a top choice for customers.

Chubu area electrical power demand results for the summer

  • I now would like to talk about this summer’s electrical power demand results in the Chubu area.
  • This summer, from July until yesterday (September 25), the peak load result was 24,290 MW for the maximum three-day average, with a maximum single-point peak load of 24,730 MW recorded on the 24th of August.
  • All of the days the maximum three-day average occurred were in late August. This appears to be a result of increase in cooling operations, prompted by high maximum temperature in a day around this period.
  • August 24, the day in which the maximum single-point peak load was recorded, was when Nagoya reached its maximum temperature of this summer: 35.50°C.
  • As always, people in local communities, including household or business customers and local governments maintained their energy-saving and conservation efforts this past summer. I wish to express gratitude for their cooperation. Thank you very much.

Technofair 2017

  • I would like to move on to Technofair 2017, which will be hosted next month.
  • Technofair is an annual event that shares Chubu Electric Power’s wide-ranging technological development efforts. Nearly 3,000 relevant parties visit the fair each year, and this year marks the event’s 25th edition.
  • This time, Technofair will showcase technologies supporting frontline operations, and the status of research and development both on new services and stable energy supply utilizing IoT and other technologies.

Final remarks

  • Our curling team has been receiving support, but as you may already know, they unfortunately lost in the tournament deciding the domestic qualifier for the Olympic Games.
  • Thank you again for cheering, and the Company looks forward to your continued support for the team.
  • This ends my presentation.

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