Inpex enters solar market with proposed 2MW solar park

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

Jumping on the bandwagon, Japanese oil firm Inpex Corporation has made its first move into the solar power generation business and has announced plans to build a large-scale 2MW PV plant in Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The proposed plant, called Inpex Mega Solar Joetsu, represents Inpex’s first large-scale solar power generation project.

Inpex Mega Solar Joetsu will be constructed on the premises of Teiseki Topping Plant (TTP), the company’s 100%-owned subsidiary. TTP covers an area of 46,710 square metres but the plant will only take up 6,421 square metres of its site. Chiyoda Corporation was appointed as the EPC contractor and construction is due to begin in October. The construction, which will involve installing PV modules supplied by Solar Frontier, is expected to complete within months as the plant is scheduled to begin operating in March 2013.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

When complete, the plant will have an annual output of 2.48 million kWh. Electricity generated from the plant will be sold to Tohoku Electric Power Co, the largest electricity company in the region.

The company has been involved in generating electricity since May 2007 by using natural gas. However, since the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011, the country has been suffering from a power supply shortage which has, in turn, spurred an increase in demand for solar power.

Moreover, the recently introduced feed-in-tariff has also been causing heads to turn and many companies are looking to invest in solar power in the country to take advantage of the attractive subsidies. Beginning on July 1, Japan is offering solar power producers which qualify for its scheme a FiT rate of ¥42 (US$0.53) per kWh for 20 years.

With the FiT now in place, the Japanese solar market is expected to see a boom in investment. According to independent research firm Solarbuzz, the Japanese PV market is forecast to grow by 64% year-on-year in 2012 to 2.05 GW.
 

Read Next

July 10, 2025
German renewables company BayWa r.e. has secured a €3 billion (US$3.5 billion) loan for 'operational initiatives and pipeline expansion.'
July 10, 2025
US renewables developer Invenergy has launched commercial operations of 250MW Fairbanks Solar Energy Center in Sullivan County, Indiana. 
July 10, 2025
US solar residential installer Sunnova has entered into a stalking horse asset purchase agreement with Omnidian for some of its assets.
July 10, 2025
A report published by the US Department of Energy (DOE) this week claims that the previous government’s support for renewable energy could cause blackouts to “increase by 100 times” by 2030.
July 10, 2025
UbiQD has signed a supply agreement with First Solar to supply its fluorescent quantum dot technology for use in the latter’s PV panels.
July 10, 2025
Copenhagen Energy has partnered with Thy-Mors Energi to set up a 100MW PV and BESS project in Ballerum, about 370km from Copenhagen. 

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Media Partners, Solar Media Events
September 2, 2025
Mexico City, Mexico
Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 22, 2025
Bilbao, Spain
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK