Electricity costs for homes per kilowatt hour Japan FY 2013-2022
In the fiscal year 2022, the electricity costs for homes amounted to 34 Japanese yen per kilowatt hour. The electricity costs increased multiple times since fiscal year 2016, when the figure stood at 24.31 yen per kilowatt hours.
Competition in the electricity market remains limited
The competition in the Japanese electricity market remains limited as it continues to be dominated by ten regional electric utilities. Retailers of low voltage electricity mainly sell their electricity locally to homes or small shops. Tokyo Electric Power Co., Inc., also known as TEPCO, continued to rank as the largest electric power company in Japan in terms of total assets. The electric company is known for the nuclear accident at its Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in 2011.
Causes for rising electricity costs
After the nuclear disaster, nuclear energy was replaced by fossil fuels. Since Japan lacks domestic reserves of fossil fuels, it heavily depends on imports. Consequently, the self-sufficiency rate of primary energy decreased shortly after the disaster, causing electricity costs to rise. Additionally, in recent years, a short supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) reinforced the price increase.