Kyushu Electric Power Transmission and Distribution found that it provided incorrect information, such as understating the available grid capacity, in 2,113 of 18,779 preliminary grid connection consultations conducted between April 2020 and January 2025, the company said on March 21, 2025.
According to the Kyushu area grid operator, the cases were discovered during an internal audit following TEPCO Power Grid’s disclosure of incorrectly responding to over 60% of consultations conducted between September 2019 and December 2024. “After finding that a portion of the provided responses were incorrect, we promptly re-trained the responsible department and have confirmed that correct responses are now being provided,” said the statement.
The types of errors made were similar to those made by TEPCO Power Grid: understatement of available capacity due to thermal constraints, understatement of capacity available without grid upgrades to avoid reverse power flow, leaving the field indicating whether reverse current occurs blank, and stating construction work to prevent reverse current was necessary even when it was not.
Kyushu Electric Power Transmission and Distribution believes the incorrect responses were provided due to misunderstanding changes in regulation related to thermal capacity assessment and due to insufficient review of answers before submitting them to the generators.
The preliminary consultation is an optional step in the grid connection application process during which basic information about grid capacity availability is provided. Given that it plays a key role in project development, Kyushu Electric Power Transmission and Distribution’s errors may have led to project delays or cancellations. The grid operator said it started informing the affected companies.
