2025-09-30 23:24

Curtailments jumped to 2.3% of green power generation in year to August, data shows Japan has restarted 14 of 33 commercially available nuclear reactors since Fukushima disaster Trend could threaten future investments in Japan's renewables energy sector SINGAPORE, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Curtailment of wind and solar power generation in Japan is set to rise to record levels this year due to increased nuclear power use, a Reuters review of industry data showed, exacerbating pain for a sector seeing an exodus of players. In the years since the 2011 Fukushima disaster prompted a nationwide nuclear shutdown, the world's fifth-largest power producer has gradually restarted some nuclear plants. Sign up here. Fourteen of 33 commercially available reactors have been restarted, including two that came back online last year. Another received preliminary approval this year for a restart that may not come until 2027. That has helped cut Japan's fuel costs, particularly expensive fossil fuel imports, and meet rising power demand from chipmakers and data centres. But since nuclear power cannot be easily ramped up and down, grid flexibility has suffered. Curtailments refer to the amount of wind or solar power that could have been produced but was pre-emptively rejected because a grid hit its limits. Across nine of Japan's ten grid regions, curtailments jumped 38.2% to 1.77 terawatt-hours (TWh) or 2.3% of total green power generation in the eight months through August, according to a Reuters analysis of data from the Renewable Energy Institute (REI). That compares with 1.28 TWh or 1.8% of renewable output in the same period last year, and the previous annual record of 1.9% in 2023. "Nuclear units are prioritised in Japan's electricity dispatch, meaning wind and solar are forced to curtail," said Michiyo Miyamoto, Japan energy finance specialist at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). She cited increased output from the Shimane No.2 reactor in the western region of Chugoku, which was restarted in December, as one such example. DISTANT GOALS Japan wants renewables to account for as much as 50% of its annual power output by 2040 and for nuclear to make up 20%. That compares with levels of 23% and 8.5% in fiscal 2023 respectively. But the loss of revenue from curtailments has only added to tougher times for the renewable energy sector in Japan. A record 52 renewable energy developers exited Japan in the fiscal year ended March - including eight bankruptcies, IEEFA said in an August report. August also saw groups led by trading house giant Mitsubishi (8058.T) , opens new tab walk away from three offshore wind projects due to soaring costs, stirring concerns about the viability of other offshore wind projects. New wind and solar installations in Japan grew just 3.3% in 2024, the slowest pace since 2009, data from the International Renewable Energy Agency shows. "If curtailments rise beyond expectations, this will make it harder for renewable projects to recover their costs, which may discourage new investments," said Kenichi Onishi, researcher at the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan. The Japan Community Power Association, the Japan Council for Renewable Energy and the Japan Wind Energy Association did not respond to requests for comment. Transmission shortages and maintenance outages have also led to increased curtailment. During the first five months of the current fiscal year ended August, the island of Kyushu had curtailments of 7.6% while the northern region of Tohoku saw the biggest climb, from 2.1% to 5.8%, REI data showed. "The main issue is insufficient grid transfer capacity from high-renewables regions. Kyushu's photovoltaics build-out outpaced local demand and export capability," said Uran-Ulizi Batyabar, Tokyo-based analyst at Rystad Energy. Japan is working to reduce curtailments by building inter-regional transmission lines, promoting battery storage, and encouraging demand during periods of high power generation, said Minoru Shioda, an official at the industry ministry's energy efficiency and renewable energy department. Shioda said higher hydropower generation due to heavier-than-expected snowfall led to curtailments in Tohoku this spring. Analysts also cited the restart of an Onagawa nuclear unit in Tohoku last October as a key reason for the curbs. "Unless regulatory reform prioritises renewables over incumbents, Japan risks falling further behind global trends (of surging renewables growth)," said Tetsunari Iida, chairperson of the Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies. ($1 = 148.56 yen) https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/japans-renewable-curtailments-track-hit-record-nuclear-generation-rises-2025-09-30/

2025-09-30 23:00

Sept 30 (Reuters) - Trinidad and Tobago has received U.S. support to develop the Dragon gas field in Venezuela, and it could include a license from the U.S. Treasury Department, both the U.S. government and Trinidad said on Tuesday. The announcement followed a meeting between Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington. Sign up here. Trinidad and Tobago has wanted to develop gas resources in U.S.-sanctioned Venezuela near the two countries' maritime border but was paused earlier this year after the initial U.S. licenses were suspended , opens new tab. The U.S. in April revoked a license that permitted Shell (SHEL.L) , opens new tab and Trinidad's National Gas Company to develop the Dragon gas field off of Venezuela, despite sanctions targeting the government led by President Nicolas Maduro. The U.S. supports the Trinidad government’s Dragon gas proposal and steps to ensure it will not provide significant benefit to the Maduro regime, Rubio said in a statement on Tuesday. Shell's activities relating to Venezuela are conducted in strict adherence to all applicable laws, regulations and trade controls, including those of the U.S., the company told Reuters in response to the U.S and Trinidad and Tobago statements. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/trinidad-receives-us-support-cross-border-energy-projects-2025-09-30/

2025-09-30 22:47

WELLINGTON, Oct 1 (Reuters) - The New Zealand government said on Wednesday that it would financially support investment by the country’s energy companies in critical electricity infrastructure. The government holds a 51% stake in the formerly state-owned generators Genesis Energy (GNE.NZ) , opens new tab, Mercury (MCY.NZ) , opens new tab and Meridian (MEL.NZ) , opens new tab. Energy prices have risen in New Zealand as supply has tightened, putting energy generators in the spotlight. Sign up here. Finance Minister Nicola Willis said in a statement that she had written to the three electricity generators to say that the government is prepared to support capital funding requests for strategic and commercially rational investments that support energy security. “Reliable and affordable energy is key to New Zealand’s prosperity,” she said. An independent review of the country’s electricity system found that the companies have faced constraints in their ability to invest in larger generation projects, because of a perception that the government would not provide equity injections to support those investments. Willis added the government was committed to retaining its 51% stake in the companies. The government also announced a procurement plan for a liquefied natural gas import facility and will strengthen the Electricity Authority to make it a “more powerful, decisive regulator.” https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/new-zealand-government-back-energy-firms-critical-infrastructure-investments-2025-09-30/

2025-09-30 22:34

CHICAGO, Sept 30 (Reuters) - Archived crop and livestock reports from the U.S. Department of Agriculture were set to transfer to a new government website on Wednesday with the agency's existing online archive, hosted by Cornell University's Mann Library, decommissioned, the USDA and a Cornell official said on Tuesday. The USDA's online Economics, Statistics and Market Information System, an archive of USDA reports dating to 1973, will move to the USDA's National Agricultural Library. Sign up here. Two reports released by the USDA on Tuesday -- its quarterly grain stocks and annual small grains reports -- said archived editions were stored on the legacy Cornell site. But a Cornell representative said the USDA reports would no longer be available from the Mann Library site starting on October 1. Many of the USDA's major market-sensitive reports, including its monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report, a key reference for the grains trade, had already moved on Tuesday to the new website , opens new tab. The new platform also includes reports from the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service on quarterly U.S. grain stocks, cattle on feed, and weekly U.S. crop progress reports, among other topics. With the prospect of a government shutdown looming on Tuesday, a USDA spokesperson did not comment specifically on whether the agency's new platform would remain accessible or would be among the services disrupted. Other USDA sub-agencies, including the Foreign Agricultural Service, the Economic Research Service and the Agricultural Marketing Service, will upload new reports to their respective websites, a note on the Cornell website said. USDA announced in April that it planned to migrate its report archives from Cornell's Mann Library and onto an alternative platform as a way to "modernize its processes," without detailing what that would entail. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/usda-migrates-data-archive-new-website-dropping-cornells-mann-library-2025-09-30/

2025-09-30 21:54

Sept 30 (Reuters) - The International Atomic Energy Agency is engaging with both sides of the military conflict to restore offsite power to Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant as soon as possible, the U.N. atomic watchdog's chief Rafael Grossi said on Tuesday in a statement. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had earlier said the situation at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station had become critical, with Russian shelling preventing restoration of power needed to cool the reactors and prevent a meltdown. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/iaea-working-restore-power-ukraines-zaporizhzhia-nuclear-plant-grossi-says-2025-09-30/

2025-09-30 21:44

Shares rise 23% in Wednesday trading Deal is part of US government efforts to boost domestic supplies Canada's government to review investment China is the world's dominant refiner of lithium Oct 1 (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Energy has taken a 5% stake in Lithium Americas (LAC.TO) , opens new tab and a separate 5% stake in the company's Thacker Pass joint venture with General Motors (GM.N) , opens new tab that is set to be the largest lithium source in the Western Hemisphere. The deal, announced by Lithium Americas, marks the latest private sector investment by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration. It follows U.S. government acquisitions in Intel (INTC.O) , opens new tab and MP Materials (MP.N) , opens new tab, as the government attempts to boost industries it considers vital to national security. Sign up here. U.S.-listed shares in Lithium Americas jumped 23% to $7.03 in Wednesday trading. Last week, Reuters reported , opens new tab that administration officials were in discussions with Lithium Americas about an equity stake as they renegotiated the terms of a $2.26 billion government loan for the Nevada-based mining project. EXERCISE PRICE OF A PENNY The Vancouver-based company said it has finalized an agreement with the Energy Department to initiate the first $435 million draw from a previously announced $2.26 billion loan to support development of the Thacker Pass mine, which is under construction and set to open by 2028. The U.S. government will acquire the stakes via warrants with an exercise price of a penny. "We greatly appreciate the support of the administration, General Motors and our partners," Jonathan Evans, CEO of Lithium Americas, said. GM, which invested $625 million in the mine last year for a 38% stake, has the right to buy all of the project's lithium from its first phase and a portion from the second phase for 20 years. "We're confident in the Thacker Pass project, which will reduce U.S. dependence on imported lithium and can support domestic manufacturing across many industries," said Shilpan Amin, who oversees GM's supply chain procurement. Administration officials had initially sought a guarantee that GM would buy the metal regardless of market conditions, a request the automaker rebuffed and that led to the equity stake request, Reuters previously reported. Because Lithium Americas is based in Vancouver, Canada's government said it will review the deal as part of a standard process tied to the Investment Canada Act, which allows Ottawa to approve or reject mergers and acquisitions based on their net benefit to the country. "The government welcomes foreign direct investment that benefits Canada's economy. As part of this process, reviews of foreign investments in critical minerals will be conducted in the best interests of Canadians," a spokesperson for the government's Ministry of Innovation, Science and Economic Development told Reuters. As part of the deal with Washington, GM will allow Lithium Americas to sell unallocated future lithium production to other parties. Lithium Americas has also agreed to fund a loan reserve account with $120 million within 12 months of the first draw on the loan. Republicans and Democrats alike have touted the Thacker Pass project as a way to boost U.S. critical minerals production and cut reliance on China, the world's largest lithium processor. China produces more than 40,000 metric tons each year, making it the third-largest producer after Australia and Chile. In refining, its influence is far greater as it processes over 75% of the world's lithium into battery-grade material. The U.S. produces less than 5,000 metric tons of lithium at a Nevada facility owned by Albemarle (ALB.N) , opens new tab. Thacker Pass's first phase is expected to produce 40,000 metric tons of battery-quality lithium carbonate per year, enough for up to 800,000 EVs. https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/us-government-take-5-stake-lithium-americas-joint-venture-with-general-motors-2025-09-30/