Publication date: Aug 11, 2026 Japan Data Center Update 30: Major AI Data Center Development Planned in Akita as the Data Center Decentralization Accelerates UAE sovereign wealth fund considers investment in up to 500 MW AI data center in Akita Japanese and US companies, together with Akita Prefecture and Akita City, plan to build one …
Publication date: July 27, 2026 Japan Data Center Update 28: Workload Shifting and GX Strategy Drive Japan’s Data Center Decentralization PowerX and HIGHRESO jointly explore BESS-equipped GPU data centers BESS manufacturer PowerX and GPU data center operator HIGHRESO have signed an MoU to explore collaboration on energy infrastructure supporting GPU data centers and AI computing …
Publication date: July 24, 2026 Balancing Market Price Caps Are Lowered to JPY 10/ΔkW-30 Min from September The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) presented a policy at the Power Supply Stability Working Group (WG) to lower the price caps for certain products in the balancing market. For Frequency Containment Reserve (FCR, or Primary), …
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Publication date: July 10, 2026 LTDA To Better Reflect Rising Costs From 2027 The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has held an expert meeting to discuss the new framework for the fourth round of the Long-Term Decarbonized Power Source Auction (LTDA), scheduled for next January (see our previous newsletter for the FY2026 third-round …
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Publication date: June 30, 2026 Japan to Update Battery Industry Strategy With New Targets and Timelines Amid a global oversupply of batteries, Japan aims to differentiate its domestic production by focusing on high-value-added areas such as performance and safety, alongside next generation battery technology. In response to evolving conditions, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and …
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Publication date: June 23, 2026 Japan Data Center Update 23: Data Center Development Moves Toward 24/7 Clean Power and BESS Integration Japan’s 24/7 CFE market forecast to reach 62.72 TWh by FY2040, driven by data center growth Fuji Keizai has released the results of its domestic market research on 24/7 carbon-free energy (CFE). The company …
Publication date: June 5, 2026 Kyushu T&D Launches Japan’s First 15-to-30-Minute Curtailment Control System Kyushu Electric Power Transmission and Distribution (T&D) is strengthening measures to reduce renewable energy curtailment. Curtailment refers to a measure in which transmission system operators (TSOs) control power generation output to balance electricity demand and supply. Due to its sunnier weather …
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Publication date: June 5, 2026 OCCTO Awards 7.3 GW in Latest LTDA Round, With BESS Competition Easing The Organization for Cross-regional Coordination of Transmission Operators (OCCTO) has announced the results of the third round of the Long-Term Decarbonized Power Source Auction (LTDA). Total bidding volume reached 10.856 GW, of which 7.299 GW was awarded. The …
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Publication date: May 26, 2026 Japan Data Center Update 19: Government and Industry Push Integrated Approaches to Data Center Development Ministry of the Environment Offers Up to JPY 1 Billion for Low-Carbon Data Center Projects The Ministry of the Environment (MoE) launched a tender for subsidies supporting data center decarbonization through energy efficiency improvements and …
Publication date: April 21, 2026 METI to Limit Grid Connection Study Applications by Region to Manage Surge in BESS The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)’s expert committee has recently decided to introduce a cap on the number of grid connection study applications per operator for grid-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS). The cap …
