Hokkaido Electric Power requires wind power operators to set up storage batteries synchronously

This spring, Hokkaido Electric Power Company asked operators of new wind power plants in Hokkaido to install storage batteries
when connected to the Hokkaido Electric Power Company's transmission and distribution grid.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has begun conducting research
on the increase in wind power generation, which is greatly affected by the climate, and in order to ensure a stable supply of electricity without failures, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry believes that this initiative may reduce the incentive for operators to participate.
Batteries cost billions of yen, and agreements for wind power installation have been extended, and it will take more time to complete the installation, exceeding the expectations of many operators
.
Some people in the party see this as a major problem, and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry will ask the Hokkaido Electric Power Company to revise the system
based on the results of the investigation.

Hokkaido Electric Power Company believes that if wind power generation increases too rapidly, it may cause large-scale blackouts, and sets the upper limit of 360,000 kilowatts of power connected to the transmission and distribution grid (in addition to the demonstration experiment with Tokyo Electric Power Company).

At present, 315,000 kilowatts of this amount (2015) has been used, including the applicant department, plus the power station to start construction in the future, which has exceeded the upper limit
.
Therefore, from April this year, Hokkaido Electric Power Company will install storage batteries for operators that exceed the requirements of the application to ensure that the instability of power generation is controlled within a certain range
.

This was opposed by several operators who were planning to add new wind farms
.
When the power generation capacity is 10,000 to 30,000 kilowatts, it costs billions of yen to introduce storage batteries, and many operators have begun to retreat because it is not cost-effective
.

Green power investment, which plans to participate in the offshore wind power generation (output of 100,000 kilowatts) business jointly developed by six companies along the coast of Ishikari Bay Shinhinha, was scheduled to start construction in the summer of 2017 due to battery installation issues, but now had to postpone the start of construction until the spring
of 2018.
The delay in the start of construction has affected them greatly
.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said, "I have never heard of such strict requirements from other power companies to install storage batteries, and this policy introduced by Hokkaido Electric Power Company is likely to hinder the spread
of wind power generation in the region.
" "The agency will test whether this requirement is technically reasonable and, if it determines that this is an inappropriate qualifying criterion for participation, will require the company to correct the practice
.
"

On this issue, Masatoshi Akimoto, director of the Liberal Democratic Party's Renewable Energy Promotion and Expansion Committee, said in an interview with the Hokkaido Shimbun that "this rule is unexpected.
"
On the other hand, according to the Hokkaido Electric Power Company, "Wind power generation fluctuates a lot, and if it increases, it will be difficult to adjust
it through thermal power plants, etc.
" I hope you will understand
that this is a necessary measure to maintain the stability of the transmission and distribution network.
”

Because the Hokkaido area, where wind is relatively strong, is a major base for wind power generation, the impact is great
.
Hiroshi Suzuki, chairman of Hokkaido Green Fund, who is engaged in the wind power generation business and knows the situation in the industry, said: "By prioritizing the transmission of renewable energy to Honshu through transmission cables connecting Honshu and Hokkaido, the impact
of unstable wind power generation can be controlled.
It is necessary to
establish a system that can flexibly use the transmission and distribution grid.
”