Smoke rises from the Jera Co's Taketoyo Thermal Power Station after an explosion occurred in Taketoyo, Aichi prefecture on Jan 31, 2024. (PHOTO / AFP)

TOKYO – A fire broke out at the Taketoyo thermal power station in Aichi prefecture in central Japan on Wednesday, its owner JERA said, adding that operations at the facility were suspended.

Taketoyo has a power generation capacity of 1,070 MW, making it among the largest in Japan. JERA, a joint venture between Tokyo Electric Power and Chubu Electric Power is Japan's largest utility power company.

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In a statement on Wednesday, JERA said that at around 1514 local time (0614 GMT), smoke was detected and fire was discovered on the belt conveyor transporting fuel at the plant.

Operation at the facility was suspended shortly after, JERA said, adding that there were no injuries.

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The plant is located about 40 km south of Nagoya, the biggest city in central Japan. Chubu Electric Power was experiencing no power outage in its operational area, its website showed.