Second Joint Project by JR Kyushu and Sumitomo Corporation Group “Battery Station Tomiai” Completed in Kumamoto City
Kyushu Railway Company (Head Office: Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture; President & Chief Executive Officer : Yoji Furumiya; hereinafter “JR Kyushu”), Sumitomo Corporation (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director, President & Chief Executive Officer: Shingo Ueno; hereinafter “Sumitomo Corporation”) and Sumitomo Corporation Kyushu (Head Office: Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture; President & Chief Executive Officer : Tadao Saida; hereinafter “Sumitomo Corporation Kyushu”) have jointly invested in and established Battery Station Kyushu LLC (Executive Officers: Yutaka Asaoka and Keita Kojima; hereinafter “Battery Station”). On January 30, 2026, Battery Station completed its second grid-scale battery storage project, “Battery Station Tomiai,” in Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture. Following commissioning and operational adjustments, the facility will begin participating as a grid-scale battery in the Ancillary Market*1 and the Capacity Market*2.
1. Overview of the Battery Station Business
Battery Station provides energy services centered on stabilizing electricity supply and demand and expanding the use of renewable energy (“renewables”) by utilizing railway-adjacent land and idle property managed by JR Kyushu. The company leverages JR Kyushu’s maintenance and management expertise together with the Sumitomo Corporation Group’s knowledge of battery storage businesses. As part of these efforts, Battery Station is developing grid-scale battery storage projects. In 2024, it launched its first project “Battery Station Kawashiri,” and commenced operation of grid-scale batteries through participation in the Ancillary Market and the Capacity Market.
As Japan works toward achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, stabilizing and upgrading the power grid in anticipation of large-scale renewable energy deployment has become essential. In the Kyushu region in particular, where solar power generation has expanded rapidly, the importance of grid stabilization to address fluctuations in output is increasing. On sunny days, power generation frequently exceeds regional demand, resulting in repeated output curtailment. In fiscal 2025, it is projected that approximately 1 billion kWh of renewable electricity – the equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of around 250,000 households – will go unused due to output curtailment.
In response to these challenges, Battery Station aims to accelerate decarbonization across the Kyushu region through a united regional effort. By fulfilling a role in balancing electricity supply and demand and serving as foundational infrastructure supporting Green Transformation (GX), the company seeks to deliver safe and reliable regional energy services to local communities
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Second Joint Project by JR Kyushu and Sumitomo Corporation Group “Battery Station Tomiai” Completed in Kumamoto City, source
