The 100 MW Sodegaura power plant in Japan, operating with ten Wärtsilä 34SG engines, has been successfully handed over to Tokyo Gas Engineering Solutions (TGES). The Wärtsilä engines provide the needed flexibility to enable critical grid balancing as Japan strives to increase its share of renewable energy.  

The plant was built by TGES on behalf of its parent company Tokyo Gas, who will own and operate the facility. The plant is located in Sodegaura city in the Chiba Prefecture, and it will play a key role in supporting the company’s participation in Japan’s balancing market and newly launched capacity market.

“This gas engine power plant will be used as a balancer, responding to fluctuations in renewable energy supply and electricity demand. Wärtsilä’s engines have excellent ramp-up capability to provide the needed balancing power for an increasing share of renewables in the power generation mix. We expect this balancing power plant to play a significant role in the Japanese electricity market,” comments Tadashi Ishizaka, Executive Officer and General Manager of the Power Business Department, Energy Trading Company, Tokyo Gas.

According to its 7th Strategic Energy Plan, Japan is working toward a major shift in its power mix, looking at achieving 40-50% renewable energy by 2040. The new cross-regional balancing market in Japan was launched in 2021 by the governmental authority. The purpose of the balancing market is to bridge the gap between energy demand and supply during times when fluctuating renewable energy is being introduced into the system. By being able to reach full output within minutes of start-up, Wärtsilä’s engine technology delivers the flexibility needed to compensate for fluctuations in the supply from wind and solar.

“Wärtsilä’s strategy is centred around the need to decarbonise power generation, and through our various technologies, we are shaping the power sector’s efforts in this direction. We are delighted to support Tokyo Gas with our flexible gas engine technology as increasing levels of renewables are integrated into the power system and Japan is moving towards sustainable power production,” says Nicolas Leong, Energy Business Director, North & Southeast Asia at Wärtsilä Energy.

Wärtsilä has established a strong relationship with Tokyo Gas over the years. To date TGES has installed 39 Wärtsilä gas engines in project installations. The two companies have held regular MTBF (mean time between failures) meetings aimed at optimising plant efficiencies since the early 2000s.