Japan's Electric Power Development (J-Power) expects construction of its Ohma nuclear power plant to be delayed, President Hideaki Kato said on September 15.

J-Power initially planned to complete construction of the 1.38-GW plant in 2029 and begin operations in 2030, but Kato said the schedule is likely to slip due to the complexity of construction planning.

The company plans to unveil a new mid-term business strategy next spring, including a target start date for Ohma and revised plans to phase out inefficient coal-fired power plants.

The Ohma plant in Aomori prefecture is an advanced boiling water reactor designed to be the world's first nuclear plant capable of using mixed-oxide fuel throughout its entire core. Construction began in May 2008 but was suspended after the March 2011 Fukushima disaster, with preparatory work resuming in 2012.

Kato said J-Power's goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 remains unchanged, but it may revise its 2024 roadmap calling for phasing out inefficient coal plants by 2030. Rising electricity demand from data centers could make it preferable to keep the plants operating longer.

Separately, the company's plan to convert its Matsushima coal-fired power plant to a lower-carbon facility has been delayed due to soaring construction costs, labor shortages and longer lead times for gas turbines.

Overseas, J-Power is seeking gas-fired projects in Asia backed by long-term power purchase agreements and plans to expand large-scale solar projects in response to demand for carbon-free power in the U.S. and Australia.