By TOMOKI MORISHITA/ Staff Writer
July 10, 2023 at 06:00 JST
A Sanyo Shinkansen train (Provided by West Japan Railway Co.)
West Japan Railway Co. (JR West) plans to utilize renewable energy in part to power its Shinkansen, making it reportedly the first JR corporation nationwide to operate high-speed bullet trains on green power.
The eco-friendly electricity source will be provided by Chugoku Electric Power Co. from fiscal 2023 in phases along the Sanyo Shinkansen Line.
Chugoku Electric is expected to install solar power generation facilities so that JR West’s electrical substations for Shinkansen in Okayama, Hiroshima and Yamaguchi prefectures will receive energy in July 2023 at the earliest.
Electricity will be transmitted from the faraway energy production facilities through the power grid under a system known as an off-site power purchase agreement.
JR West is forging ahead with its carbon neutral policy in the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to virtually zero.
An aim of the major railway operator is replacing 10 percent of power for use in Shinkansen operations with that of solar energy by fiscal 2027.
As for conventional train tracks, JR West alike signed a similar agreement with Kansai Electric Power Co.
Carriages along the Osaka Loop Line and the Yumesaki Line are expected to run exclusively on power based on renewable energy by the end of fiscal 2023.
Through these changes, JR West is expected to slash Shinkansen carbon dioxide emissions by 61,000 tons--equivalent to the total generated by 20,000 households--as of the end of fiscal 2027.
In addition, the decline among normal trains as of the end of fiscal 2023 will compare to that for 10,000 households at 32,000 tons.
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