Kyushu Electric Power Co. said Wednesday it will withdraw from the construction of a thermal power plant near Tokyo with Tokyo Gas Co., as a global shift to greener energy and rising fuel prices have raised concerns about the profitability of the project.

But Tokyo Gas, which, like the utility, has a 50 percent stake in the company set up in 2019 for the project, said it will remain part of the plans for the development of the liquefied natural gas plant in Sodegaura, Chiba Prefecture.

Kyushu Electric said it had "taken into consideration a myriad of situations surrounding the project" including Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has sent energy prices soaring.

The power company, headquartered in Fukuoka, a major city in southwestern Japan, said its withdrawal is expected to have minimal impact on its earnings.

The two companies initially aimed to begin operating the LNG power station in 2028. It would have provided approximately 2 million kilowatts of electricity, the equivalent to that supplied by two nuclear reactors.

==Kyodo

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