Japan Pursuing New Objective to Eradicate Utility Poles
In a bid to enhance infrastructure resilience, particularly in urban areas, the Japanese government has unveiled a new five-year plan. This ambitious initiative focuses on moving power lines underground, specifically along emergency transport routes, to boost disaster resilience and ensure the reliability of the power supply.
The plan, set to replace the current program running from fiscal 2021 to 2025, aims to promote the undergrounding of power lines in critical urban corridors. This move is expected to ensure power supply stability during natural disasters and improve emergency response capabilities.
Recognising the importance of urban emergency transport routes in disaster response and recovery, the plan prioritises these areas. It is part of a broader national strategy to increase the undergrounding rate of power lines, with a focus on reducing outages and improving public safety.
The plan aligns with efforts to upgrade urban infrastructure in major cities within the next five years, aiming for significant progress by 2030. While exact budget details for this program have not been explicitly stated, investments by utilities such as Kansai Electric and TEPCO—totaling over ¥350 billion—support grid upgrades related to growing urban demands, including underground power line projects.
As of the end of fiscal 2024, such work had been completed for only 35% of the high-priority areas. To address challenges posed by narrow roads in underground power line construction, the ministry plans to utilise roadside drains. The ministry's strategies for difficult areas also involve the exploration of alternative solutions, such as the use of roadside drains.
The new target is expected to be formalized in the ministry's five-year plan starting in fiscal 2026. Discussions by a panel of experts are planned before the formalization of the new plan, which is scheduled for next spring. The ministry's plan is expected to contribute to the safety and reliability of Japan's power supply infrastructure.
In addition, the ministry aims to complete work to replace utility poles with underground power cables on sections of emergency transport routes in urban areas by fiscal 2030. The ministry's strategies for difficult areas are designed to find solutions to obstacles in underground power line construction, such as narrow roads.
This targeted government effort is part of a broader initiative to modernize and improve Japan's infrastructure, with the ultimate goal of ensuring consistent power delivery and safer evacuation or emergency access during crises.
A segment of the new five-year plan involves investing in underground power line projects, specifically along emergency transport routes, which coincides with the financial commitments from utilities like Kansai Electric and TEPCO, totaling over ¥350 billion. This investment in the energy sector is an integral part of Japan's broader initiative to modernize and enhance infrastructure resilience, particularly in urban areas, and improve disaster response capabilities.
