Tepco, Hitachi and Toshiba in talks for 4-way nuclear alliance. Decommissioning and safety costs loom large for the Japanese power companies. Tokyo Electric Power Co. Holdings, Hitachi, Toshiba and Chubu Electric Power have entered into negotiations to form a four-way alliance on nuclear power operations that would include jointly decommissioning obsolete reactors. The utilities and engineering companies are considering the launch of a joint engineering company that handles reactor maintenance with the possibility of combining all nuclear operations under one roof in the future. Further details are being hashed out. Tepco and Chubu Electric have already agreed to combine their fossil-fuel operations under joint venture JERA in the spring of 2019. A similar risk-sharing arrangement for nuclear would represent a major shift in that business following the 2011 Fukushima disaster. Hitachi has urged big Japanese utilities to invest in its ongoing nuclear project in the U.K., and Toshiba plans to withdraw from the overseas nuclear business that contributed to its financial crisis. A four-way partnership would not only be good for the power companies, but could also help Japanese plant builders maintain their technology.
Nikkei Asian Review 22nd Aug 2018 read more »
When contacted by Reuters, all four companies said they had regular discussions with each other. Hitachi denied the details included in the Nikkei report on plans for decommissioning and the building of new reactors.
Reuters 22nd Aug 2018 read more »
