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TEPCO says it has no money to develop renewables

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51 Comments
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Absolute POPPYCOCK! No money for renewables? You've got PLENTY of OUR money so do as your told!

11 ( +17 / -6 )

40 years of the rich life, cars, private drivers, homes, second homes, third homes, lobster dinners, luxury trips overseas. I guess it's time for TEPCO to live like the rest of us.

7 ( +9 / -2 )

“It is true that in order to be in healthy financial condition, nuclear power is helpful,”

"healthy" & "helpful" in conjunction with "nuclear power"?

1 ( +3 / -2 )

This makes my blodd boil so much we shud look into it as an enegy source! This lieing sack of %$# needs to massively trim salalries, CANCEL bonuses, retirement payments from management going back 3decades!

How is that for a bloody start for getting some $$$ for new ebergy sources, do I have to do your damned job or what!

5 ( +7 / -2 )

It's quite unbelievable how much might TEPCO has.

It can get away with so much, spin so many stories and cover-ups,and no-one is held responsible.

No wonder that foreign businesses struggle in Japan if tis is how things are run here.

Excuses are made, and things are brushed off with little or no objections.

Despite what people think and what TEPCO are saying, that nuclear power plant is far from safe or "stabilized" as is written here.

TEPCO got

2 ( +4 / -2 )

This company is so past a joke it isn't funny..

Their culture, the very one that caused this man-made disaster hasn't changed one little bit.. Healthy financial position... the only time that this company should ever be in profit again is if every single person evacuated has somewhere to live, a job, the mental health care they require, they are paying for monitoring of radiation, paying for medical check for anyone that might be effect, the melted down plants are genuinely taken care of, they have rolled out real plans to stop using nuclear power.... ie a hundred years from now...

Plus ten years of over charging, put up the rates again.. arrgghhh

This too big to fail way of business it just disgusting.. it makes me very sad.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Boohoo! Poor TEPCO executives... they might not be able to make money for their corrupt business. HOw I wish they would be able to stick around forever with their ever so helpful business practices. Hopefully their unwillingness will allow oppurtunities for others to get into the renewable energy business.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Close them down

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Sell off @Tokyo and quit your bitching, Tepco! I love the quote that in order to have a "healthy financial condition" they need nuclear--- right, your nuclear policy seems to be exactly what got you in this mess. Talk about incompetence. Hurry up, free the energy markets, and let Tepco die a quick death!

1 ( +2 / -1 )

these guys never learn

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Oh no money? Perhaps all those bonuses to those who caused this accident to happen shouldn't have been given? They're behaving like children who spent all their money on junk when they were supposed to be saving it. Waaaaah!!! Mommy, I have no more.... Thing is, in Japan, mommy usually gives the brat money and well, they've got ours so why I am not surprised at any of this?

1 ( +2 / -1 )

No money? Take the executives bonuses away since a bonus is just that, a bonus for which they do not deserve. Start with the President. Then move his salary down to less than 1 million yen/month. If he complains that at that salary he can't keep his home, remind him of all of those that lost their homes due to his company. I believe that the salary workers at Tepco should be able to keep their salaries and bonuses since I am sure this was not their fault at all. They are just robots doing what is ordered by the executives.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Tepco shouldn't be allowed to manage any money -- or projects, people and safety measures for that matter. They should just be responsible for cleaning up their mess, and then close up shop and get out of the business. Leave energy issues up to someone else.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Tough titty, you should never be allowed to make a profit and never allowed to change your name and keep it as a mark of shame. You can't expect people to forget!

5 ( +5 / -0 )

No more bailouts for TEPCO! Let them go bankrupt.

Regional monopolies should be dissolved and the regional utility companies would be faced healthy competition. As for myself I would be happy to switch my electric contract to any TEPCO competitor (if they would be allowed to enter the market).

3 ( +3 / -0 )

TEPCO have no money for renewables because of their incompetent management of their nuclear reactors. They should never be allowed to operate a nuclear facility again, but if the LDP get back in power they will be given a free hand to continue their corrupt practices as before.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

No more bailouts for TEPCO! Let them go bankrupt.

Impossible I'm afraid as the government owns the majority share in the company.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Amazing. Not one person over there has been fired. Furthermore, not even a parking citation for an illegally parked car. In other words, where are the criminal charges for GROSS Negligence resulting in the destruction of public property?

TEPCO is way above the law obviously.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

No money for renewable energy, no money for the displaced, no money for health checks of children. Lots of money for their pockets...baffling.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

As far as I remember TEPCO has never paid for any renewable energy project. At least not in Chiba. The farmers here put up large solar panels producing electricity, which is sold to TEPCO. Over the past few years the trouble was to get a fair price for the power sold from TEPCO. We produce about 50 KW per day on our fruit farm and never got paid per KW what TEPCO charges even though we put up the investment and financed it. TEPCO needs to be taken to court.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

Fine with me! I do not want TEPCO involved in anything to do with energy ever again. They should be paying for all the damages and eternal clean-up.........not us, the taxpayers.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

TEPCO already has partial ownwership of a waste to energy power plant in Tokyo, since 2006. Just build or convert incinerators to waste to energy power plants.

Tokyo Waterfront Recycle Location: Tokyo Operator: Tokyo Waterfront Recycle Power Co Ltd Configuration: 1 X 23 MW CHP Operation: 2006 Fuel: demolition waste, waste plastics, medical waste Incinerator/boiler supplier: Ebara T/G supplier: ?? Quick facts: This project is jointly investd by Tokyo Electric Power, Ebara Corp, ORIX, and Shimizu Corp. The facility went online in Aug 2006 and can handle waste plastics, demolition debris, and medical waste in a separate dedicated furnace. The base technology is a pair of TwinRec fluidized-bed gasification and ash melting lines ordered from Ebara in Apr 2004. Maximum throughput is 550 tpd. Ash and slag are recycled into construction materials. The Tokyo Waterfront project is part of Tokyo's Super Eco-Town Project.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

if nuke is so " safe, healthy (and "cheap") " in the eyes of scum like this ... then why " The company had attempted some (renewable) diversification of its energy mix before the March 11, 2011 "

seems like they knew very well their nukes days were / are numbered..

2 ( +2 / -0 )

TEPCO has no money to develop renewable energy, but they have lots of money to give themselves yearly bonus checks and to live in very comfortable dwellings while everyone in Japan suffer from their manipulating lies!!! TEPCO is so full of crap that they can be smelt all around the world!!

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Lets see.... we've been overpaying TEPCO for decades.... i.e. my elec bill in Tokyo was twice that of my bill in the States and I consumed less energy to boot. Now... after decades of decadence and a major disaster... TEPCO is complaining they need more money to develop Renewables.... heck.... who the heck wants them to do the developing for us in the first place! Let TEPCO die a slow death and lets try to find a company we can trust.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

I know I am talking to a dead crowd, but I will try anyway. I am not saying TEPCO is bad or good, what i am stating is facts. TEPCO and Japan, starting in the 70's spent TRILLIONS of yen to develope and build the current nuclear system. It took them 30 years. Of course TEPCO has money. But if it costs over 1 billion USD just to restart a power plant that is already built, already devoloped then how much do think it will cost to develope a entirely new power structure. Some posted that should just spend that billion on solar panels. Well, a billion in solar panels would produce about 10% of what that nuclear plant can output. They have to develope something better! Not to mention solar panels have to be replaced in about 10 to 15 years.

Alternive energy is just in its infancy. Hence the need for development. It's not as simple as just building an alternative energy power plant. It's not a lego kit you can just buy.

Japan has find the money to develop viable alternate energy. The key word there is viable, became mostly it does not exist in forms efficient enough to power a country of 125 million people. A few golden parchetute, big houses, and 1 billion dollars is not enoug to just completely build an entire new structure of power for Japan.

-8 ( +2 / -10 )

Open it up so other businesses can do what TEPCO is unable or unwilling to do.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

All money gone because of bribing officials?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

They've got no more money left after not only all the bonuses, but the buying of real estate, donations to Tokyo University, payments to media, entertainment, "research" trips overseas, and it just keeps going.

One day Japanese kids will grow up and look back and ask where on earth all the money went, and wonder how on earth their parents and grandparents could use money like that.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Well, the answer is pretty simple really. Just give the contracts to develop renewables to a company that can afford to develop them. Dump these monopolizing power cartels and put the company up as public. Then, just let TEPCO wallow in the shadows of the debt they created through collusion and deception. Simple!

4 ( +4 / -0 )

But still, even if you want to argue making solar/renewable infrastructure is too expensive, you cannot compare that to the cost of running nuclear energy--- clearly, nuclear has cost them more to run when you consider the costs they now have to pay for.... And we still haven't seen the long term costs of spent fuel storage actually be taken into account either. If its short term costs they are complaining about--- sell off their @Tokyo data center. That will build you a nice renewable power plant!

3 ( +3 / -0 )

So they've been bailed out by the government, increased energy bills for more money, want to restart the Niigata plant to make a profit while not paying out compensation, but we should cry for them because they have 'no money'?

If TEPCO can't afford to go along with the government and the public, fine, they should shut down. This Hirose is something else!

5 ( +5 / -0 )

I'd like to know what all their business trips over those years were about. From what I read, there wasn't much expense spared. But at least when the earthquake hit to the top execs tried their hardest to make it back from Kansai and China. For me this anecdote sums up all that's wrong with leadership in Japan.

"Shimizu had managed to get on an Air Self-Defense Force plane near Nagoya but was not given permission by the government to land near Tokyo and had to return to Nagoya, and was not able to get to Tokyo until the next day. Shimizu, according to the newspaper, got permission from the Kan government cabinet to use the plane but no one informed the defense minister and he ordered the plane to return to where it took off."

Hirose probably isn't going to be interested in non-renewables. He's probably getting ready for his next job like Shimizu.

Shimizu now works as a director on the board of Fuji Oil. "Tepco and Fuji Oil Company's parent, AOC Holdings (AOCHD), have a close relationship. Tepco is AOCHD's biggest shareholder, with an 8.7% stake. Mr Shimizu's new employer says the firm is keen "to use his profound experience in the energy sector", but did not comment further on his role or his salary."

Does this stuff make you laugh or cry or just decide to have a beer and not think about it.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

This makes no sense. They're pleading that Fukushima was so expensive that they don't have money, so they want to re-start all the old nuclear power stations in one of the most earthquake prone countries in the world... so they can claim they're broke after the next nuclear disaster and ask for more public money????!! All the while continuing "business as usual".

This is ridiculous. Ironically it seems that the article holds the answer too. Their affiliate "Eurus Energy Holdings Corp" has the technology for renewable power. Shut down TEPCO, seize their assets, prosecute their senior management, then tell Eurus it can have that area's power contract if it can get to 50% renewable power by 2015, with a further 10% per year until 2020.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Take your anger and use to to protest at Shimizu's (and other formers executives) houses. Make their lives heck 24/7. Imagine that they just built a 10f building next to your home and took away all of your 日当り (since that is what makes Japanese people finally take action).

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Robert Dykes : 1 billion dollars is not enough to just completely build an entire new structure of power for Japan.

I agree with you there, but $1B investment would be a good chunk of "change" and cleaning up a "Fukushima" will cost a lot more than that !

Robert Dykes : It's not a lego kit you can just buy.

you are wrong, it's more like lego that you think, I have friends who install solar, they often say " any monkey can do it, just plug it in and it works " building a nuke or any large scale plant, now you are not dealing with lego...

alternatives : take solar example (there are many others) : solar install for new home = real cost, less than $10,000 (that's 3.5KW now, way less if you buy in larger volumes)

$1,000,000,000 = 100,000 new homes install solar

power bill for 100,000 new homes (average $70 / month power bill) = $84,000,000 per year

so maybe paid off within 20 - 24 years even with zero FIT and assume still pay for up to 50% of power with Japan having average 4 - 6 hrs per day of sunlight and still have to pay for power on cloudy days + night etc.

current solar panels are still quite efficient for about 15 years, and last for max about 25 years (yes, efficiency does drop as panels age)

but with FIT you could pay it off in way less than 15 years (even if power bill goes up because of FIT). (solar panels may be "hard" to recycle, but a "bit" easier than nuke waste I assume)

if all new homes have solar, then the need for some plants in peak times would decrease (especially if using FIT). (in the short term we could turn off or down some of the coal and oil plants)

obviously solar is not for most apartments and not every house either, but I'm sure there are way more than 100,000 homes that could use it. (I'm sure people living near nukes now would jump at the chance to get it installed)

solar efficiency gets better as the years go on, prices drop etc... and not to mention a lot of people getting jobs ...

gov. tariffs and subsidies could make alternatives more attractive. In Australia where they were so popular that some transformers in the street were failing due to the over load of customer generated power! (upgrade transformers costs money but creates more jobs)

but wait, tepco makes little money from alternatives like this.... why bother even trying alternatives when you can get endless free money from us suckers paying tax in Japan ? so in a tepco world, it's better to put your head in the sand and wait for the waves to come in - literally

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Consumption of electricity decreased by 5-11% this summer countering the assumption that the restart of NPP's was or still is needed to cover the energy demands to be misleading and this is proving to be an unnecessary policy and the wrong approach and wrong philosophy to go forward. The money needed to restart those NPP's would be put to better use in the short and the long run if it was invested into renewable energy projects.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

At first I thought this headline was a joke.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

People should get together on a local basis and construct solar collectors and windmills. Then the wiring to the houses would be easy and direct. How much would it take to do a 5 square block area? The collective cost of building and operation should be investigated. This cost split up by all the people might be quite affordable, and you wouldn't be victimized endlessly . This should probably be done world-wide.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I don't mind Tepco not being able to take care of its nuclear reactors nor do I mind that they are some of the oldest reactors still in in operation with inherent safety flaws that have not been rectified.

I do mind that the population of Japan is ingesting radioactive isotopes and as a consequence are being slowly poisoned.I do mind that my body is slowly building up contamination that is drilling holes in my body...

If Naomi Hirose cannot understand the desires of the customer and respect them by phasing out nuclear generated power then Japanese power generation should be put out to tender to companies that can-I am sure there would be a lot of takers!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Tepco really has very little say on the issues. It's up to to the J-goverment. The J-government has more than half of Tepco's voting shares. It will also take convertible stock that, when converted, will increase the government's control to more than two-thirds. Sure Tepco had many cost problems related to disaster, but Japan will slowly make transitions to other energies in two to three decades. The nuclear powerplants will be here for a while.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

TEPCO says it has no money to develop renewables

Then it leaves the energy business because renewables, not nuclear, is the energy business of the future.

And if I may ask, where has TEPCO been putting the abnormal profits it has accumulated for more that 40 years of nuke electricity at monopoly rates?

3 ( +3 / -0 )

If TEPCO has no money, the government should take it over, examine the books and records, put directors and top managers in jail for financial mismanagement. There should also be charges for Fukushima but that would be closer to treason if not treason.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Ka_chan, no insult intended but your asking one corrupt institute to take over another corrupt institute. TEPCOs hands are deep in the pockets of LDP. Coca-Cola did good. Government should follow their lead.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I don't think J-government is a corrupt institution, the player may be. As for TEPCO, everyone involved should loose their shirts at the very least. Since TEPCO was already bailout by the government, it should no longer exist. Since TEPCO exist in a non-business setting, the government should take it over. Granted I don't the the government will go after itself in the Fukushima incompetence but the government has the power to get rid of TEPCO. Let the other electric utility take over the rest of Japan since both are localize monopolies. Then maybe there can be an uniformed grid with 60 hz.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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