EnerBank Supports Hachinohe City’s 100% Renewable Power Procurement via Eneoku, a First for Public Facilities in Aomori Prefecture

EnerBank Inc. (Representative Director: Jogo Sato; headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo) supported Hachinohe City in Aomori Prefecture, led by Mayor Yuichi Kumagai, in selecting and procuring a retail electricity provider as the city switches electricity used at public facilities to 100% renewable energy. Using EnerBank’s power reverse auction service “Eneoku,” Hachinohe City will switch electricity at one public facility to 100% renewable energy from April 2026 onward. This marks the first public-facility power procurement initiative using Eneoku in Aomori Prefecture. EnerBank and Hachinohe City will continue strengthening their collaboration to reduce electricity procurement costs through Eneoku and promote decarbonization through renewable energy adoption. What is Eneoku? Eneoku is Japan’s only free service that supports electricity cost optimization for consumers by using a reverse auction method to select a new electricity contract provider. Retail electricity providers participating in the bidding can rebid any number of times while viewing competitors’ prices, encouraging lower unit prices. Eneoku is free to use, including support for preparing specifications and draft planned prices. It also allows renewable energy conditions to be attached, enabling both DX and GX. A reverse auction is a procurement method in which the buyer selects the seller through an auction format, also known as a descending bid method. During the specified period, bidders can check competitors’ offered prices in real time and submit conditions repeatedly. Support provided to Hachinohe City included free preparation and organization of draft specifications and electricity usage data for renewable power procurement, as well as free implementation of the reverse auction. The procurement results were as follows: one target facility, Hachinohe City Hall; auction period, January 2026; six bidding companies; 19 bids; starting auction price of 67,502,626 yen; winning bid of 49,078,525 yen; cost reduction of 18,424,101 yen; reduction rate of 27.2%; and renewable energy ratio of 100%. The introduction of renewable electricity is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 900 t-CO2. This estimate is based on Tohoku Electric Power’s standard menu emissions factor of 0.000421 t-CO2/kWh. Unlike ordinary bidding, where one company generally submits one bid, the reverse auction enabled retail electricity providers to bid multiple times, resulting in a lower-cost renewable energy plan contract. Hachinohe City Hall’s Administrative Management Division commented that reducing electricity costs had been an issue for the city’s main government building. To secure stable and economical power procurement while ensuring fairness and impartiality, the city used Eneoku. Under conventional open competitive bidding, rate structures differ by retail electricity provider, making comparison difficult. At the same time, limiting the rate structure could reduce the number of participating companies and weaken competition. For that reason, Eneoku did not deliberately restrict rate structures, while setting 100% renewable electricity as a condition based on Hachinohe City’s Global Warming Countermeasures Action Plan and working to reduce CO2 emissions. The division also noted that although the period from document preparation to auction execution was short, careful communication with the staff in charge allowed procedures to proceed smoothly and the electricity switch to be completed without delay. The auction achieved electricity cost reductions beyond initial expectations, which the city described as a major outcome and a demonstration of Eneoku’s effectiveness. Looking ahead, while renewable electricity tends to cost more than ordinary electricity, using Eneoku’s power reverse auction, which allows rebidding while viewing other companies’ bid prices, enables organizations to procure renewable electricity at appropriate prices. As electricity market price increases make tariff structures more complex and power procurement more difficult, EnerBank will support efficient power procurement through its digital solutions. EnerBank will continue strengthening collaboration with municipalities across Japan and support initiatives toward zero-carbon cities through Eneoku and Green Ticket.