Jera began normal operations at the No.2 unit at Yokosuka on 22 December, after it had conducted test power generation since May. The company has advanced the start-up of the new unit to make the most of its capacity during the country's winter peak demand season that typically runs from December-February. The unit was previously targeted to begin commercial operations in February.
Jera has worked on upgrading the Yokosuka power plant since August 2019, replacing the 2,274MW oil-fired power plant that was scrapped in March 2017. Another 650MW No.1 coal-fired unit started commercial power generation in June.
The new coal-fired units at Yokosuka are equipped with ultra-super critical technology that are deemed efficient in Japan's thermal power generation sector. Tokyo has already vowed to phase out existing inefficient coal-fired capacity with less than 42pc efficiency by 2030.
