Shulman Advisory

Japan Shifts to Annual Revisions of Wheeling Charges Under Revenue Cap System

Publication date: May 4, 2026 Japan Shifts to Annual Revisions of Wheeling Charges Under Revenue Cap System The Electricity and Gas Market Surveillance Commission (EGC) plans to revise wheeling (transmission) charge calculation methods under the revenue cap system for the second regulatory period (FY2028–FY2032), shifting from the current flat five-year structure to annual revisions. The …

METI Addresses Demand Growth and Supply Security in Power Market Reforms

Publication date: May 1, 2026  METI Addresses Demand Growth and Supply Security in Power Market Reforms Rising energy demand, driven by data center expansion, is increasingly driving power market conditions in Japan, while growing renewable capacity is reshaping supply dynamics. To grapple with the changing energy market, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) …

J-POWER and Mizuho Complete Hourly Matching Pilot Ahead of GHG Protocol Revision

Publication date: April 27, 2026 J-POWER and Mizuho Complete Hourly Matching Pilot Ahead of GHG Protocol Revision J-POWER, Mizuho Bank, and three other companies announced the successful completion of a pilot project demonstrating “hourly matching,” which verifies that renewable electricity generation and consumption are aligned on an hourly basis(the matched volume was not disclosed). Specifically, …

METI to Set Up Three WGs to Rewire Market Design, Capacity Mechanisms, and Retail Obligations in Parallel

Publication date: April 14, 2026 METI to Set Up Three WGs to Rewire Market Design, Capacity Mechanisms, and Retail Obligations in Parallel The Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) announced at the Next Generation Infrastructure Development Subcommittee that it will establish three new working groups (WGs) related to power system reform. The Power Supply …

JEPX System Upgrades: Shift to API-Based Trading Reshapes Market Access

Publication date: April 7, 2026 JEPX System Upgrades: Shift to API-Based Trading Reshapes Market Access JEPX will begin rolling out its upgraded trading system from April 2026, with a phased transition across spot and intraday markets extending through FY2026. The key change lies in the migration from browser-based trading to API (Application Programming Interface) -driven …

METI Further Clarifies Key Elements of the Retailer Obligation Framework

Publication date: March 30, 2026 METI Further Clarifies Key Elements of the Retailer Obligation Framework In our previous newsletter, Japan’s Power Market News Week 7, we noted that the Working Group (WG) on System Design Based on the Review of Power System Reforms would further examine key design issues regarding the planned retailer’s obligation to …

TEPCO to Include Faster Fuel Cost Pass-Through in Corporate Tariffs From April

Publication date: March 21, 2026 TEPCO to Include Faster Fuel Cost Pass-Through in Corporate Tariffs From April TEPCO will revise its tariff for corporate customers (super high-voltage and high-voltage) from April onward. Currently, the average fuel price from three to five months prior to the month of use is reflected in corporate electricity tariffs. However, …

Japanese Futures Jump to Record Levels Amid Middle East Tensions

Publication date: March 17, 2026 Japanese Futures Jump to Record Levels Amid Middle East Tensions The outbreak of war in the Middle East has triggered a sharp increase in prices and trading volumes of Japanese electricity futures on the European Energy eXchange (EEX). On March 3, trading volume reached 4,905 GWh, significantly surpassing the previous …

Year in review 2025 (Dec 2025)

Publication date: Dec 22, 2025  Year in review 2025 (Dec 2025) Policy  Proposed advanced procurement and Mid-Long Term Market to reshape retailer risk In July, METI’s Working Group proposed a new requirement for electricity retailers to secure a certain proportion of their future electricity supply volume (in kWh) in advance, with the aim of stabilizing …

The Role of LNG in Japan’s Energy Transition and Upcoming GX-ETS Impacts

Publication date: Dec 1, 2025  The Role of LNG in Japan’s Energy Transition and Upcoming GX-ETS Impacts Despite the Japanese government’s recent push to significantly increase the share of renewable energy in the energy mix, Japan still relies heavily on thermal power (natural gas, coal, and oil) for about 70% of total generation. Among the …