Insights & Analysis
A straight-to-the-point monthly summary of important regulatory discussions and changes in Japan's power market.
In the May 2026 issue:
- Summary of METI, OCCTO, and other committee meetings
- Proposed revised thresholds for solar project EIA
- Revised capacity market withdrawal penalty system proposal
- Kyushu renewable curtailment system revision
- METI power business license and registration changes
- Nuclear power plant operational status updates
- ...and more
The next issue will be released on July 15, 2026.
Enehub Charts of the Week
While the balancing market remains a key focus for battery developers, EGC’s planned tighter oversight of bid prices following a recent spike in imbalance penalties detailed in the latest issue of The Japan Power Industry Executive monthly report and the expected growth in storage capacity suggest that energy arbitrage is likely to grow in importance. The chart below shows average battery spreads in the day-ahead market in 2024.
TOCOM confirmed it will add Chubu futures to its offering from the spring of 2026. The decision comes following years of consistent price decoupling from the Kansai area and amid growing demand for power derivatives in Japan’s third-largest TSO area.
According to METI data, about 270MW of grid-scale BESS capacity was connected to the grid as of the end of March 2025. That figure has since increased with the commissioning of Banpu and Global Engineering’s 14.5MW project in Iwate, Toho Gas’s 11.4MW project in Mie, and others in May and June.
