With electricity demand surging due to the construction of data centers for artificial intelligence (AI), the Japanese government is considering extending the lifespans of aging thermal power plants, the Nikkei reported on the 6th.

Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) is exploring ways to raise funds from the market to cover facility maintenance costs by utilizing the electricity trading market.

The plan involves recruiting thermal power plants slated for closure or retirement to supply electricity 1-3 years down the line, with retail electricity suppliers sharing the maintenance and repair costs.

Thermal power operators plan to use the procured funds for facility maintenance, ensuring these plants can be operated when power shortages are anticipated.

Additionally, measures to secure funding over multiple years to enable continuous maintenance are under review.

Details of this system are scheduled to be finalized within this year.

The Japanese government's move to extend the life of aging thermal power plants is a response to rising electricity demand driven by scorching heatwaves and the establishment of data centers.

While medium- to long-term policies such as promoting the use of nuclear energy are necessary, the strategy aims to secure immediate electricity needs by extending the lifespans of thermal power plants in the interim.

However, a significant portion of thermal power plants in Japan are already aged, and with more facilities being retired or closed than newly constructed, electricity supply capacity is projected to decline by fiscal 2030.

Meanwhile, concerns over power shortages are escalating.

Accounting for extreme heat events that occur once every decade, power reserve margins in the service areas of Tohoku Electric Power and Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) are projected to drop to 1.6% in the summer of 2029, falling below the minimum required threshold of 3%.

Amid calls for expanding the share of nuclear power in the medium to long term, TEPCO has decided to utilize AI to handle application procedures required for nuclear plant restarts.

According to the Nikkei, TEPCO Holdings, in collaboration with Itochu Techno-Solutions and other partners, has developed an AI-based document preparation system to address shortages of specialized personnel by cutting workloads by 80%.

To build new nuclear plants, restart existing ones, or upgrade facilities, electric power companies must undergo screening and obtain approval from the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA).

However, the documents required for this process are massive and demand numerous specialists, making operational efficiency a critical challenge.

For instance, the documents submitted by TEPCO for the restart of Unit 7 of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture totaled 70,000 pages and required 100 specialists working over several months to compile.

In response, TEPCO has developed a dedicated AI system alongside Itochu Techno-Solutions and AI startup Stockmark, launching field tests for the system yesterday.

TEPCO aims to commercialize the system around fiscal 2027 and expand its application not only to restart screenings but also to various procedures such as modifying specifications for operating nuclear plants.

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