JR West and Chugoku Electric Power are jointly considering a grid-scale battery storage business, mainly in the Chugoku region. Development will proceed using JR West’s idle land and power-receiving facilities, with the business to be cultivated as a future source of revenue.
JR West and Chugoku Electric Power reached a basic agreement to participate in the battery storage business and will proceed with studies aimed at commercialisation in the future. Approximately 30 unused sites along JR West’s railway lines have been identified as potential development sites, with plans to use idle land and power-receiving facilities. Chugoku Electric Power is expected to handle operations, and an SPC structure is also under consideration.
Specifically, the companies plan to build a battery storage facility using the site of a former thermal power station in Yamaguchi Prefecture, with total output expected to be 48,000 kilowatts. As the battery storage market expands with the wider adoption of renewable energy, the two companies aim to contribute both to a stable regional energy supply and decarbonisation. They will work out the details of the business framework going forward.
JR West Director Wada Keishu (和田 啓秀) said that the company wanted to work with Chugoku Electric Power to help resolve regional energy issues, and indicated that it hoped to establish a basic framework by fiscal 2030. Chugoku Electric Power Executive Officer Mizushima Kenei (水島 賢明) said the company would seek to ensure a stable supply by expanding the adoption of renewable energy and securing balancing capacity.