JAPEX Mihama Battery Energy Storage System Begins Commercial Operation

Japan Petroleum Exploration Co., Ltd. (JAPEX) has installed its first grid-scale battery ^(*1) facility, "JAPEX Mihama Battery Energy Storage System" (hereafter the "Battery Energy Storage System") in its Research Center in Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, and began commercial operation on August 1, 2025.

Amid the ongoing expansion of the introduction of variable renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power, the importance of storage batteries that can provide the regulating power to compensate for the output fluctuations of renewable energy and stabilize the power grid has been increasing in recent years.

Utilizing the electric power business structure we have built and the know-how we have accumulated, JAPEX operates and manages the Battery Energy Storage System and trades electricity stored in it on various electricity markets ^(*2). Through this operation, JAPEX will contribute to the effective use and further expansion of renewable energy, the stable supply of electricity through the provision of balancing capacity, and the improvement of the supply-demand balance. In addition, JAPEX will further promote initiatives in the storage battery business to create opportunities for future revenue generation by utilizing the knowledge gained from the Battery Energy Storage System.

Tokyo Environmental Public Service Corporation selected the Battery Energy Storage System for its "Subsidy for the Project to Promote the Introduction of Large-Grid-Scale Batteries", and a portion of the costs required to introduce large-scale storage batteries directly connected to the electrical grid have been subsidized.

In addition to provide a stable energy supply that have tackled until now, JAPEX will pursue a stable supply of energy that aligns with the times and aims for further growth as a "comprehensive energy company" by engaging in the storage battery business.