
Hankyu Corporation signed a 5MW offsite corporate PPA with Kansai Electric Power amid its efforts to start full-scale carbon neutral train operations from April 1, 2025, the Osaka-based train operator announced on October 11, 2024.
As part of the PPA, Kansai EPCO’s subsidiary KDS Solar LLC will develop solar power plants totaling 5MW by the end of FY2025. Kansai EPCO will serve as the retailer delivering the generated power, expected to be approximately 9.5GWh per year, to Hankyu.
The train operator first announced its intention to achieve full-scale carbon neutral train operations (including power used by trains, as well as at train stations along the company’s 143.6km railroad network) in August 2024. The PPA will contribute approximately 3% of the annual power required by the initiative, or approximately the volume of Hankyu’s busiest Osaka Umeda Station’s annual consumption.
While this is Hankyu Corporation’s first corporate PPA signed to power its trains, its parent Hankyu Hanshin Holdings signed another PPA with Kansai EPCO earlier this year to secure renewable power for its Takarazuka Grand Theater and Takarazuka Hotel.
Other train operators in Japan including Tokyo Metro and JR Group companies have signed multiple corporate PPAs, both physical and virtual, over the last couple of years. A list of those deals and disclosed details can be found in the Japan Energy Hub PPA database.