Regular Press Conference for February 2010

<Chubu Electric's measures to combat global warming>

• Before beginning, allow me to take a little of your time to briefly discuss Chubu Electric's thinking regarding the prevention of global warming, and the efforts we are making in this area.
• At Chubu Electric, we recognize that acting to prevent global warming is a responsibility of everyone now living toward future generations. This is an issue that is shared by the entire world, and one against which urgent countermeasures must be implemented.
• We electric utilities are responsible for approximately 30 percent of domestic CO₂ emissions.
  I therefore believe that making active efforts to reduce CO₂ emissions and contributing to the realization of a low-carbon society is an important duty of electric utilities.
• Chubu Electric positions responding to global warming as one of its most important management agendas.
• We are making the utmost effort in this area, with a variety of practical measures forming the core of our response. These include
  - Increasing our utilization factor of nuclear power plants, with the preservation of safety as an absolute priority
  - Steadily pushing ahead with the construction of the Joetsu Thermal Power Station, a high-efficiency LNG-fired power station
  - Developing new energy sources, including solar power, wind power, biomass energy, and small-scale hydroelectric facilities
  and
  -Procuring CO₂ credits using the Kyoto Mechanism
• These initiatives have been reported elsewhere, but to give you an idea of our recent efforts in this area, I will briefly discuss wind generation.
  On the 19th of this month, we completed Phase 1 of our first commercial wind power plant, the Omaezaki Wind Power Station, and commenced operation of the plant.
  Yesterday, on the 22nd, Phase 1 of Wind Park Kasadori was completed by C-TECH CORPORATION, one of our group companies, and the facility was put into commercial operation.
  We are steadily pushing ahead with work on Phase 2 of these projects in order to enable operation to commence according to plan.
• With that, allow me to move on to discuss our new development in the area of solar power generation, which stands with wind power as one of the chief focus areas for new energy development.
• In cooperation with Iida City, Chubu Electric has decided to construct a solar generation facility to be called Mega Solar Iida in Kawajijoyama, located in the south of Iida City in Nagano Prefecture.
  We intend to conclude an agreement concerning specific construction details and other matters in Iida City, tomorrow.
• Selected by the Japanese government as an Environmental Model City in January 2009, Iida City is implementing a variety of initiatives aimed at creating a low-carbon society.
  The city is actively working to establish low-carbon lifestyles and build low-carbon social systems, for example by
  - Developing a solar power business that makes use of the hours of daylight with which the city is blessed,  
  - Promoting and spreading the construction of low-carbon residences based on the region's own energy conservation standards  
  and
  - Developing mechanisms to enable renewable energy to be produced and consumed in the region.
  
• These initiatives accord perfectly with Chubu Electric's philosophy regarding the protection of the earth's environment, and we have therefore now decided to construct this mega-solar power station in cooperation with Iida City.  
  We are immensely grateful to everyone in Iida City who has been involved in considering the plan.  
  I would like to take this opportunity to thank them all sincerely.
• Under the plan that we have established, Iida City will provide the land to be used for the power station, and will construct the PR facilities, etc. Chubu Electric will be responsible for the construction, operation, and maintenance of the power station.
• The mega-solar plant will have an output of 1,000 kW.  
  When the facility is completed, it will generate approximately 1 million kWh, corresponding to the power used by approximately 300 households in a year, and it is expected to reduce CO₂ emissions by approximately 400 metric tons per year.  
• Chubu Electric will now work closely with Iida City and, with the understanding and cooperation of the residents of the city and the surrounding area, steadily put the plan into effect, looking towards the commencement of operation in 2011.  
  By means of promoting and spreading the use of new energy through the implementation of this plan, we hope that we will be able to contribute to Iida City's goal of becoming a vigorous, low-carbon environmental and cultural city.
• Chubu Electric has set itself the target of developing a mega-solar project of between 15,000 and 20,000 kW by fiscal 2020.
• This new development plan in Iida City is Chubu Electric's second solar power development, following on from Mega Solar Taketoyo, a 7,500 kW facility currently being constructed in the grounds of the Taketoyo Thermal Power Station, and will bring the company's total solar generation output to 8,500 kW.
• At the same time as contributing to the promotion and spread of solar power, we expect our mega-solar projects to assist in reducing the price of solar panels and to spur further technological development, and we therefore intend to actively implement further projects.  
• We also believe that the operation of the mega-solar facilities will increase our technological knowledge in relation to such factors as the effect of variations in climate and weather and amount of insulation on the electricity network.  
  
• We will continue to actively work for the development and introduction of solar power, wind power, and other new forms of energy, at the same time as steadily pushing ahead with the achievement of an increased nuclear generation utilization factor and the development of high-efficiency LNG-fired power stations, seeking with all members of the Chubu Electric Group to realize sustainable development in the Chubu Region.   

That concludes my remarks  for today.

Reference

• Press Release "Plan for Development of Mega-solar Power Facility in Iida City, Nagano Prefecture"