Page 11 - AfrElec Week 06 2021

AfrElec NEWS IN BRIEF AfrElec

weather phenomenon that has been ongoing The Iwaki branch of Fukushima District recognised damage is too small.
since late last year will end in the northern Court reached its conclusion Tuesday in Tepco said it will examine the ruling and
hemisphere spring, Japan’s weather bureau a lawsuit filed by 297 plaintiffs — which consider its response.
said on its website, Reuters reported. included residents of the heavily affected
Characterised by unusually cold ocean Yamakiya district in the town of Kawamata
temperatures in parts of the Pacific Ocean, the who were ordered to evacuate — seeking
La Nina event sparked chaos in the Japanese JPY14.7bn in damages from Tepco. WIND
power markets last month when a cold snap The plaintiff side expressed its intention to
boosted demand for heating and heavy snow appeal to a higher court. 15 new offshore wind farms
knocked out solar supplies pushing Japan’s The suit is the second in a series filed by
electricity grid to the brink. evacuees who left their homes due to the triple opened in 2020
The phenomenon often brings heavier meltdown at Tepco’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear
snow to Japan and la Nina, Spanish for little power plant triggered by the March 2011 In 2020, 15 new offshore wind farms
girl, tends to make temperatures cooler earthquake and tsunami. generated their first electricity and there are
than normal in the northern winter and The plaintiffs excluded the state from the now 162 offshore wind farms up and running
warmer than normal in the southern version, suit as it hoped to achieve an early resolution. worldwide. Soon, 26 more that are under
according to the U.S. National Oceanic and In the first suit, Sendai High Court last construction will join the global fleet.
Atmospheric Administration. year ordered Tepco to pay a total of over This is according to the Global Offshore
The el Nino phenomenon tends to have the JPY700mn to evacuees. Wind Report 2020 from World Forum
opposite effect from la Nina, according to the In the latest ruling, presiding Judge Offshore Wind (WFO), which reports that
administration. El Nino means little boy or Yukitaka Najima said the amount of 5,206 MW of offshore wind capacity went into
Christ child in Spanish. consolation money already paid to evacuees operation during 2020, compared to 5,194
Both events typically last for around nine based on the government’s interim guidelines MW in 2019.
to 12 months at different times but can last for was reasonable. Najima thus stopped short of “This translates into an annual growth
years. ordering additional payments. rate of 19,1% for the global offshore wind
The payments were made under the law industry, which is particularly impressive
on compensation for nuclear damage, which given the international disruptions caused by
obliges the operator of a nuclear facility COVID-19”, WFO states.
NUCLEAR to compensate for damage arising from it The 15 new offshore wind farms that
regardless whether there was negligence. started producing electricity in 2020 are in
Tepco ordered to pay Tepco to pay consolation money worth the U.S., China, the UK, Germany, Portugal,
Meanwhile, the Iwaki branch ordered
Belgium, and the Netherlands. Seven are
JPY600mn over 2011 nuclear JPY2mn per person for their loss of located in China, two in Belgium and two in
hometown.
the Netherlands. Among the 15 projects, there
disaster plaintiffs’ claim that Tepco is liable under the was also a floating wind farm commissioned
At the same time, the court rejected the
last year: the 25 MW WindFloat Atlantic in
A court has ordered Tokyo Electric Power Civil Code for failing to prevent the accident, Portugal.
Company Holdings Inc. to pay a total of some which they believe was foreseeable.
JPY600mn to 271 plaintiffs over an evacuation A group of lawyers on the plaintiff side
caused by the 2011 nuclear disaster. criticised the ruling as unjust, saying that the

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