Shulman Advisory

Mid-Long Term Market to Adopt Continuous Trading for One-Year Delivery

Publication date: Oct 28, 2025  Mid-Long Term Market to Adopt Continuous Trading for One-Year Delivery Mid-Long Term Market to Adopt Continuous Trading for One-Year Delivery The Working Group (WG) on System Design based on the Review of Power System Reforms has been discussing the institutional design of Japan’s Mid-Long Term Market. The following are the …

METI Grants First Price Gap Support for Hydrogen and Ammonia Supply Projects

Publication date: Oct 20, 2025 METI Grants First Price Gap Support for Hydrogen and Ammonia Supply Projects METI Grants First Price Gap Support for Hydrogen and Ammonia Supply Projects The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has approved the first projects for a price gap support program that subsidizes the cost difference between hydrogen/ammonia …

Six Common Pitfalls in Japan’s Retail License Process — and How to Avoid Them

Publication date: Oct 17, 2025 Six Common Pitfalls in Japan’s Retail License Process — and How to Avoid Them Six Common Pitfalls in Japan’s Retail License Process — and How to Avoid Them Entering the Japanese wholesale electricity market is complex and involves many steps. From language barriers to post-license registrations, each stage presents unique …

Powering Through Winter: Japan’s 2025-26 Winter Weather Forecast

Publication date: Oct 16, 2025 Powering Through Winter: Japan’s 2025-26 Winter Weather Forecast Powering Through Winter: Japan’s 2025-26 Winter Weather Forecast Japan registered the hottest summer in history this year, surpassing the previous records in 2023 and 2024 (Nikkei). As Japan transitions from an eventful 2025 summer, we look ahead to winter and explore what …

Why Wheeling Agreements Matter for New Electricity Retailers

Publication date: Oct 3, 2025 Why Wheeling Agreements Matter for New Electricity Retailers As Japan’s power market continues to evolve following its full retail liberalization in 2016, new electricity retailers face a challenging operating environment. One of the key mechanisms enabling their participation in the market is the wheeling (or transmission) agreement: a contract that …

Navigating Japan’s Evolving Power Market

Publication date: Oct 2, 2025 Japan Moves to Develop Hydrogen and Ammonia Supply Chains Navigating Japan’s Evolving Power Market Japan’s electricity market has undergone a significant transformation since liberalization in 2016, but the landscape continues to evolve. Ten regional utilities still control around 80% of demand, while more than 700 new retailers compete for the …

Activating Flexibility: Growing Aggregator Business and Market Outlook

Publication date: Oct 1, 2025 Japan Moves to Develop Hydrogen and Ammonia Supply Chains Activating Flexibility: Growing Aggregator Business and Market Outlook Since the introduction of the “Designated Wholesale Supply Business Operator System” (commonly referred to as the aggregator system) in April 2022, the aggregation business has expanded rapidly in Japan. An aggregator is a …

Retail Market Entry Begins with OCCTO Membership

Publication date: Sept 26, 2025 Retail Market Entry Begins with OCCTO Membership Japan fully liberalized its electricity retail market in April 2016, opening its doors to new entrants for the first time. Foreign companies can participate, but only through a locally incorporated entity that obtains a retail electricity license from the Ministry of Economy, Trade …

What Market Participants Can Expect From JEPX’s New Trading System

Publication date: Sept 24, 2025 What Market Participants Can Expect From JEPX’s New Trading System What market participants can expect from JEPX’s new trading system The Japan Electric Power eXchange (JEPX) plans to revamp its trading systems in 2026, with the day-ahead (spot) market system set for renewal in February, followed by the intraday market …

OCCTO Proposes New Rules for Upcoming Long Term Decarbonization Auction

Publication date: Sept 12, 2025 OCCTO Proposes New Rules for Upcoming Long Term Decarbonization Auction At an expert meeting on the capacity market, the Organization for Cross Regional Coordination of Transmission Operators (OCCTO) reported the results of a public consultation on draft guidelines for the third Long-Term Decarbonization Power Source Auction (#LTDA). In the meeting, …