Monthly Report

JR Kyushu signs first off-site PPA, UPDATER to provide 4.85GWh/year from GPSS-developed solar plants

October 24, 2024
GPSS Solar Power Plant for JR Kyushu
The PPA involves two solar power plants in Kyushu developed by GPSS. (Image: UPDATER)

JR Kyushu, UPDATER, and GPSS Holdings signed an off-site corporate PPA to power the railway operator’s stations, the three companies announced on October 24, 2024.

As part of the PPA, UPDATER will supply power to 18 JR Kyushu stations including both those served by the Shinkansen, such as Nagasaki, and those only served by regular trains, such as Shin-Yatsushiro. UPDATER will procure the approximately 4.85GWh per year from two solar power plants developed by GPSS Holdings’ subsidiary Sustainable Energy 1 LLC in the Kyushu TSO area.

The larger, 2.44MWDC/1.94MWAC power plant is located in Amakusa City, Kumamoto Prefecture, and is expected to generate approximately 3GWh annually. The smaller, 1.54MWDC/1.01MWAC power plant is located in Kawasaki Town, Fukuoka Prefecture, with an expected annual generation of 1.85GWh. The larger facility was built on the site of a former school, while the smaller one was constructed on unused land.

Construction of the power plants was subsidized by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s FY2023 subsidy for promotion of consumer-led solar power generation projects, which covers between one and two thirds of eligible costs.

While JR Kyushu has, according to the Japan Energy Hub PPA database signed a pair of smaller, sub-1MW scale on-site PPAs, this is the first time for the company to procure power through an off-site PPA.

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