Climate Policy Engagement Analysis
Climate Policy Engagement Overview: Kyushu Electric Power Company appears to have strategic engagement on climate and energy policy in Japan and holds mixed positions. The company appears to have positive top-line messaging on climate policy and advocate for nuclear and renewable power in the future energy mix, whilst retaining high GHG energy sources including coal. In addition, Kyushu Electric Power Company retains membership to several industry associations that have negatively engaged on climate policies including the Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan (FEPC) for which Kyushu Electric CEO Kazuhiro Ikebe was the chairman until April 2024.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: Kyushu Electric Power Company appears to have positive top-line messaging on climate policy. On its corporate website, accessed in January 2025, Kyushu Electric recognised the need for urgent action to combat climate change. The company also appeared to support government regulation to respond to climate change and supported the UN process to limit global warming below 1.5°C on its corporate website accessed in January 2025.
Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: Kyushu Electric Power Company has limited but broadly positive engagement with climate-related regulations. On their corporate website accessed in January 2025, Kyushu Electric supported Japan’s 2030 and 2050 Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions target. In a June 2024 press conference, Kyushu Electric CEO, Kazuhiro Ikebe, stated support for an energy efficiency incentive policy. He also supported government investments in renewable energy in an April 2023 FEPC press conference during his CEO’s term.
Positioning on Energy Transition: Kyushu Electric Power Company appears to support electrification of sectors and strongly support a long-term role for nuclear power including new constructions, however, also appears to hold negative positions on transitioning the energy mix. On their corporate website accessed in January 2025, Kyushu Electric supported electrification, including the transport sector. In an Nikkei interview published in October 2024, Kyushu Electric CEO Ikebe supported new constructions of nuclear power plants to be included in the next Strategic Energy Plan, however also appeared to support LNG and hydrogen/ammonia co-firing with ambiguity around the timeline for the phaseout of coal and fossil gas and the decarbonization of hydrogen and ammonia production.
In an interview with Nishi Nihon Shimbun published in January 2024, CEO Ikebe stated that “thermal power stations are absolutely necessary”, emphasising the technical feasibility of renewables. In an interview in Nagasaki Shimbun also in January 2024, CEO Ikebe appeared to advocate for the continued role for coal without referencing CCS in the energy mix, stating it will be a vital asset in the projected increase in energy demand. In a response to consultation on New Kokura Power Station plan submitted to the Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry (METI) in April 2024, Kyushu Electric emphasised the technical difficulty of a transition towards renewables-dominated power mix stating that thermal power including LNG “needs to be utilised…in order for renewable energy to become the main source”.
Industry Association Governance: Kyushu Electric Power Company has only partially disclosed its membership to industry associations on its corporate website and have not published a review of climate policy alignment with its industry associations. In its 2022 CDP response, the company disclosed its membership to the Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan (FEPC), which has negative engagement on Japanese climate legislation, and of which CEO Ikebe was the chairman until April 2024. Kyushu Electric is also a member of the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren) and Japan Carbon Frontier Organization in Japan, which has both negative engagement with climate legislation.
InfluenceMap collects and assesses evidence of corporate climate policy engagement on a weekly basis, depending on the availability of information from each specific data source (for more information, see our methodology). While this analysis flows through to the company’s scores each week, the summary above is updated periodically. This summary was last updated in Q1 2025.