Under our Mid-Term Environmental Goals with a final year of 2030, the Chugai Group has established a target for a sustainable electricity ratio of 100% by 2025, and we are moving forward in the deployment of sustainable electricity. As part of that effort, on January 1, 2021 we began employing “Aqua Premium”*, electricity derived solely from hydropower that emits no CO2 during generation, at our Utsunomiya and Ukima plants and at our Kamakura and Gotemba research laboratories. 

In addition to its adoption of Aqua Premium, the Utsunomiya Plant has already achieved a 100% sustainable electricity ratio by joining the Tochigi Furusato Denki program, which provides electricity generated by hydroelectric power plants run by Tochigi Prefecture. The Tochigi Furusato Denki program not only allows for zero CO2 emissions in conjunction with the use of electricity, but a portion of the electricity fees will be used for environmental protection projects in Tochigi Prefecture, thereby also contributing to the regional community. 

The Ukima Plant expects to achieve a 100% sustainable electricity ratio by 2025 through the use of Green Power Certificates in addition to Aqua Premium, while at the Kamakura and Gotemba research laboratories, the adoption of Aqua Premium has brought the ratio of sustainable electricity to 76%. 

Through the introduction of sustainable electricity programs such as Aqua Premium, Tochigi Furusato Denki, and Green Power Certificates, approximately 75% of the Chugai Group’s total projected electricity consumption in 2021 will be sustainable electricity.

In addition to reducing energy use and working toward greater energy efficiency, the Chugai Group will continue to promote the switch to sustainable electricity for electrical power used at all of our sites, including our head office, branch offices and domestic and overseas affiliates

A certificate being issued by Tochigi Prefecture to the Utsunomiya Plant in April 2021 for its adoption of the Tochigi Furusato Denki program.
(From left, Mr. Kotoyori, head of the Tochigi Prefecture’s Enterprise Bureau, and Mr. Aiba, manager of the Utsunomiya Plant)
Tochigi Furusato Denki (Tochigi Prefecture website, in Japanese) https://www.pref.tochigi.lg.jp/j03/furusato/furusatodenki_top.html

In June 2021, the Kamakura Research Laboratory was certified by Kanagawa Prefecture as a renewable electric power user for its switch to sustainable electricity.
List of Kanagawa renewable electric power users (Kanagawa Prefecture website, in Japanese)
https://www.pref.kanagawa.jp/docs/ap4/cnt/f7600/re100nintei.html

*A rate plan for supplying electricity solely from hydropower, which emits no CO2, provided by TEPCO Energy Partner, Inc. (Head Office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Nobuhide Akimoto).