Newsletter No. 1227
News-Analysis
December 20, 2008

 

TEPCO LOOKING TO BUILD NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS IN ASIA

Beset by problems at home, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) is now looking to become more aggressive abroad. According to Kyodo News, TEPCO President Masataka Shimizu recently stated that his company is considering enhancing its overseas business by building nuclear power plants in emerging economies in Asia. He was quoted as saying: “Tokyo Electric has accumulated considerable knowhow on the construction, maintenance, and operation of nuclear power stations. Based on the assumption that it is profitable, I think we should give it a try.” No Japanese utility has ever done this before.

The two nations specifically mentioned as potential clients in the Kyodo article are Vietnam and India, but if TEPCO is really interested in building nuclear plants in other parts of Asia, this is likely to have major implications for Islamic Southeast Asia and the Persian Gulf as well. The Shingetsu Newsletter has been following the story of potential nuclear cooperation between Japan and the Arab Gulf States. TEPCO’s latest moves may prove to have an impact in this regard. We’ll watch and see.