Main Activities

Research and Information Activities

     For the past 60 years, JEPIC has been conducting research and analysis activities on the world's electric power industries. These industries are currently facing challenges such as de-carbonization, decentralization, digitalization, and market de-regulation (4D) and seeking and implementing strategies to overcome those.

     JEPIC's medium-term research and analysis activities will focus on the following areas:

(1)	Energy Policies: the implementation of various policies directed at tackling global warming under the Paris Agreement, including governmental supports to low-carbon generation sources, and the production and utilization of fossil fuels, such as oil, gas, and coal.
(2)	Electric Utilities' Business Strategies: specific trends such as the re-organization of business portfolios and the creation of alliances for the purpose of overcoming 4D challenges, and international business activities by utilities in developed countries and China.
(3)	Conventional Power Generation and Renewable Power Generation: international trends of nuclear power policies, competitiveness of nuclear and coal power generation in liberalized electricity markets, and thermal power and CCUS/CCS situations facing environmental regulations and divestments. With regards to renewable energy, adjustments to reduction in governmental financial supports and market mechanism, expansion of off-shore wind power generation, and situations of hydrogen utilization.
(4)	Power Grids and Markets: topics in this include trends in electricity market reforms in the world, power-system stabilization measures coping with large-scale introduction of renewable energy, electricity storage technologies and their introduction to the market, preparation of EV infrastructure, issues regarding securing grid resilience, situations of international grid connection, and preparation of transmission/distribution facilities in developing countries.
(5)	Retail Electricity Business: competition between retail companies in each region and country, developments of IoT and platform technologies, trends in new businesses using digital technologies such as big-data processing.