Japan Minister Plans to Oppose 2 Coal Power Plants, Nikkei Says

(Bloomberg) — Japan’s environment minister plans to oppose
two new coal-fired power projects amid concerns Japan may fail
to meet its target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the
Nikkei newspaper reported.

Yoshio Mochizuki plans to submit letters of opposition to
the trade minister, the newspaper reported Monday without
attribution. The projects are planned in Aichi and Chiba
prefectures.

While Japan’s environment ministry oversees environmental
impact assessments of power projects, only the trade ministry
can give permission to build a power plant.

Chubu Electric Power Co. plans to set up a 1,070-megawatt
coal-fired unit to replace older oil-fired units in Aichi
prefecture, according to the utility’s website.

Chiba-Sodegaura Energy Co. plans to build a 2,000-megawatt
plant in Chiba, according to the website of the company, a
venture between Idemitsu Kosan Co., Kyushu Electric Power Co.,
and Tokyo Gas Co.

The environment ministry will hold a meeting of experts
Monday to discuss the voluntary emissions targets submitted this
month by power companies, the ministry said on its website.
Mochizuki plans to express his opposition after that, the Nikkei
reported, without saying how soon the submissions will be made.

The environment ministry is reviewing environmental impact
assessment documents submitted for the projects and no decision
has been made whether the minister will oppose them, Satoru
Iino, a ministry official, said by phone Monday.

In June, Mochizuki submitted a letter saying approval of a
1,200-megawatt coal-fired power plant in Yamaguchi prefecture is
problematic in the context of the need to cut greenhouse gases.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Chisaki Watanabe in Tokyo at
cwatanabe5@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story:
Reed Landberg at
landberg@bloomberg.net
Iain Wilson, Andrew Hobbs

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