Flash 001 (Domestic Energy Storage Related) Mitsubishi Logistics Launches Full-Scale Power Warehouse Business, etc.

This series features impactful news with a TakTempest flavor that, while keeping AI and energy (power) themes in mind, sometimes goes beyond them.

Here are three particularly noteworthy news items from the last two weeks (end of December 2025 to early January 2026) in the Japanese grid-scale battery and energy storage business that will influence future market trends.

1. Strengthening of Regulations by the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy against "Empty Reservations" (Starting January 2026)

In response to the surge in grid connection study applications and the worsening issue of "empty reservations," where projects without substance occupy grid capacity, the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy has begun tightening connection rules starting in January 2026.

• Details: It is now a requirement to submit documents proving "land acquisition" when applying for a connection study, and it is mandatory to submit documents proving "land usage rights" when signing a connection contract.

• Key Point: Previously, "provisional applications" by brokers for subsidies or resale purposes were rampant, but we are now entering a phase where only operators with financial strength and solid development plans will survive. This is a major turning point toward market normalization.

2. Full-Scale Launch of "Power Warehouse" Business by Mitsubishi Logistics and Establishment of New Department (Effective January 1, 2026)

Logistics giant Mitsubishi Logistics established a "Power Warehouse Business Preparation Office" as part of its organizational restructuring effective January 1, 2026.

• Details: The company had announced its entry into the grid-scale battery business using its own warehouse network under the "Power Warehouse" brand. With the establishment of the new department, the construction and operation system for specific energy storage plants will begin in earnest.

• Key Point: 2026 is a year that symbolizes a move where not just energy companies, but major logistics and real estate firms with vast land holdings will launch full-scale energy storage businesses as a way to "effectively utilize assets".

3. Successive Starts of Operations and Power Reception at "Grid-Scale Energy Storage Plants" Since the New Year (Early January 2026)

Entering 2026, there have been successive announcements of medium- to large-scale grid energy storage plants actually beginning operations and receiving power across the country.

• Examples:

  • Nihon Chikudenchi: The "NC Hashima-shi Ashika-cho Energy Storage Plant (approx. 2MW/8.1MWh)" in Hashima City, Gifu Prefecture, began operations in the supply-demand adjustment market on January 3rd.

  • Matsuo Sangyo: Began power reception for an 8MWh-scale grid battery facility in Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture, on January 9th.

• Key Point: Previously, news was centered on "planning and construction," but as of January 2026, the number of projects that have transitioned to the phase of generating revenue in actual power markets (spot markets and supply-demand adjustment markets) is visibly increasing, and the verification of business models is finally entering full swing.

These news items clearly show the current situation where the previous "development bubble" is being suppressed by regulations, while at the same time, entries from different industries such as logistics companies and actual operations are accelerating.