On April 1st, the Japanese retail electricity market was fully opened to new entrants.

Previously, regional power companies were exclusively permitted to sell electricity to households. However, other companies can now enter the market and consumers can choose their power provider. This means they could select a company that prioritizes solar, wind or other renewable energy sources. If consumers want to switch their supplier, they must first change their meter to a new type. However, they can still use the existing wiring. The competitive system is expected to lower electricity bills and lead to a wider variety of service options.

There are some concerns about the reliability of new providers and possible contractual problems. However, the government is requiring all retailers to register their services and fully explain contracts. Customers will also be protected if their supplier unexpectedly ceases operation.

4月1日、日本において、電気小売事業への新規参入が、全面自由化されました。

これまでは、地域の電力会社だけが、家庭向けの電力の販売を許可されていました。しかし、今後は、他の企業も市場に参入することが可能になり、消費者が電力会社を選ぶことができるようになります。つまり、太陽光や風力などの再生可能エネルギーを中心とした電力を供給する会社を選ぶことも可能になります。消費者が電力会社を変更したい場合、最初に新しい電気メーターに切り替える必要がありますが、電線は既存のものがそのまま使えます。この制度により、電力会社間に競争が生まれ、電気料金の値下がりやサービスメニューの多様化につながることが期待されています。

新規参入する電力会社に対する信頼性や契約上のトラブルについて懸念する声もありますが、国はすべての電力会社にサービス内容の登録と、消費者に対する契約内容の十分な説明を義務付けています。また万一、電力供給元が突然に業務を停止した場合でも、消費者は保護されます。

Listening Quiz

1. Complete the sentence: Companies entering the retail electricity market ( ).

• acan compete with regional power companies
• bmust limit their supply operations to rural areas
• chave to work as partners with existing companies

2. Which of the following could best replace “prioritizes” in paragraph two?

• arelies on
• bdraws on
• cfocuses on

3. The information contained in the article indicates that:

• aThe government is attempting to drive down the cost of retail electricity supply.
• bExisting power suppliers are very likely to switch their focus to alternative energy.
• cNew companies will find it difficult to enter the market due to a lack of infrastructure.

4. Although customers will have to change their power meter when initially switching to a new supplier, they will still be able to use existing electrical wiring.

• aTRUE
• bFALSE
• cN/A (not applicable)