The government bids for electricity used in public facilities such as schools and tunnels to determine the contractor, but NHK's interview revealed that there are a number of cases in which bids cannot be concluded because there are no participating power companies. rice field.
It seems that electric power companies are cautious about concluding long-term contracts at fixed prices against the backdrop of soaring fuel prices.
As for the procurement of electric power in public facilities, except for small-scale cases, in principle, the operating country or local government bids and concludes a contract with an electric power company that offers a low price for a period of one to several years. It has become.
NHK investigated the status of electricity auctions held since last fall for public facilities in various regions.
As a result, the Chubu Regional Development Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has "successful bids" because there are no electric power companies to participate in 10 of the 20 bids that have already been submitted, such as tunnels on national roads and floodgates on rivers.
Including the Tohoku, Kanto, Kinki, and Chugoku Regional Development Bureaus, at least 50 of the 110 bids that have been made since last fall did not complete.
The situation where the bid was not established was also seen in the offices of each country and educational and research institutes such as national universities and colleges of technology.
In both cases, we finally secured electricity by concluding a free contract with a major electric power company.
The business environment of electric power companies is becoming harsher due to the soaring prices of fuels such as natural gas. is.
A person in charge of new electric power told the interview that "it is difficult to secure electric power due to soaring purchase prices and insufficient supply, and acquiring new contracts is also a management risk." increase.
Professor Toshihiro Matsumura of the Institute of Social Science, the University of Tokyo, who is familiar with electric power systems, said, "If you conclude a contract with a fixed price for a long period of time, there is a high risk that you will be in the red as an electric power company. , The impact of not being able to find a contractor is spreading. "
On top of that, in addition to the soaring fuel prices due to the international situation, the introduction of renewable energy is expected to further fluctuate the amount of electricity supplied and the price. We don't know how much the cost will increase if we use it, and that is no longer the case. We need to consider a mechanism to encourage efforts to use limited power efficiently. "
Chubu Regional Development Bureau "This is the first time that something has gone wrong"
Since last fall, the Chubu Regional Development Bureau, which has jurisdiction over Aichi and Nagano prefectures, has placed bids to conclude a one-year power contract from April and May.
However, out of the 20 results, 10 bids were made, such as a tunnel on a national highway near the center of Gifu City and a sluice gate on a river in the Kiso River system, and there was no electric power company to participate in.
All of these are facilities that are indispensable for maintaining society, so we made a contract with a major local electric power company on a general menu without bidding.
However, the cost of procuring electricity is expected to be higher than if it had been bid.
Regarding this situation, a major local electric power company that has supplied electricity to many facilities of the Development Bureau said, "We make decisions according to individual projects based on social conditions such as soaring fuel prices and market prices." is.
In addition, the Chubu Regional Development Bureau was notified last month that supply would be suspended by the contracted electric power company at some facilities even during the contract period, and responded by urgently signing a new contract with a major electric power company. It means that it was broken.
Kazuhiko Chiga, a construction expert in the Contract Division of the Chubu Regional Development Bureau, said, "I knew the situation surrounding electricity, but this is the first time that a slump has occurred so far, and I am surprised at the impact. It is possible to take measures such as lengthening the period, but since the maintenance bureau alone cannot change the system of bidding in principle, we will consider what we can do in consultation with the upper organization. "
Withdrawal of "new electricity" one after another due to soaring prices of natural gas etc.
Electric power companies are facing a difficult business environment due to the soaring prices of natural gas and other products.
In particular, companies that carry out the electricity retail business called "new electric power" are often forced to withdraw from the business.
According to Teikoku Databank, a private credit bureau, out of 706 "new power" companies registered in the country as of April last year, 31 companies decided to withdraw from the business last year. The number is even higher, including companies that have suspended new contracts.
Most of the "new power" does not have its own power generation facility, so it procures power through the wholesale market, but the main reason is that the cost of power procurement has risen due to the soaring price of natural gas and other factors have put pressure on management. I am analyzing that.
Recently, the person in charge of "new electric power" who has forgotten to participate in the bidding of public facilities said, "Because the purchase price of electric power is soaring and the supply amount is insufficient, 100% of the electric power can be supplied to the contractor. It is difficult to secure it all the time. In addition, it is expected that prices and supply will fluctuate sharply in the future, so it is a management risk to acquire new contracts, so we have to be cautious for the time being. " I'm talking to you.
On the other hand, major electric power companies are also affected by soaring prices of natural gas, etc., and six companies such as TEPCO Holdings and Chubu Electric Power are expected to be in the red in the one-year earnings forecast until March. increase.
In addition, some major electric power companies have said, "Due to soaring electricity procurement prices, even standard tariff menus for corporations will not be able to adequately cover the necessary costs in the short term." There are also places where we are refusing to apply for new contracts from our offices, or asking us to review the contract period and fees.
Ministry of the Environment "If there is a problem with business continuity, there are also power contracts that do not consider the environment."
When procuring goods, the national government and local governments, in principle, select vendors by bidding, except for small-scale and small-amount cases.
The same applies to the procurement of electricity, and bids are made by disclosing the target facilities, period, estimated amount of electricity used, etc.
We will conclude a contract with the electric power company that offered the cheapest price in the bid, but if there is no participating company, it will be "bad" and the bid will not be completed.
In addition, in bidding, an upper limit called "planned price" is set in advance in order to keep costs down, and if all the prices offered by the electric power company exceed the "planned price", it will be "bad".
In that case, you will have to bid again or, exceptionally, individually negotiate with the electric power company to find a contractor.
If you still cannot find a contractor, institutional safety measures are in place to prevent the power supply from being interrupted.
Major electric power companies in each region are obliged to conclude a contract when requested by a business operator who could not conclude a contract with any electric power company, and it is guaranteed that a contractor can be finally secured. It has been.
However, in this case, the electricity rate is set about 20% higher than the general menu.
Regarding electricity contracts for public facilities, the Ministry of the Environment said that it is necessary to take environmental consideration while keeping costs down, so after setting certain conditions such as greenhouse gas emission control, the bidding will be expanded. I'm asking you to go.
Regarding the fact that bidding has been unsuccessful under these circumstances, the Ministry of the Environment said, "If there is a problem with the continuation of business due to a small number of participants in bidding, there are also contracts that do not take environmental consideration into consideration. It is accepted. We will continue to pay close attention to the bidding situation. "