Tokyo – A government-commissioned panel of experts on Wednesday broadly endorsed Japan’s new energy policy for the next few years. The policy calls for increasing renewable energy to up to half of electricity demand by 2040, maximizing the use of nuclear power to meet growing electricity demand. Meet the age of AI while achieving your decarbonization goals.
The Ministry of Industry has presented a draft plan for final review by a committee of 16 mostly pro-nuclear members from business, academia and civil society. The bill would maximize the use of nuclear energy by reversing the phase-out policy adopted after the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant meltdown crisis that led to mass evacuations of residents and deep anti-nuclear sentiment. We are requesting that it be used for
The plan is expected to be approved by the cabinet by March after a consultation period, and will replace the current energy policy from 2021. The new proposal calls for nuclear power to account for 20% of Japan’s energy supply by 2040. Last year it was 8.5%, but renewable energy has expanded from 22.9% to 40-50%, and coal-fired power has decreased from nearly 70% last year to 30-40%.
The current plan sets targets for 2030 of 20% to 22% nuclear energy, 36% to 38% renewable energy, and 41% fossil fuels.
Demand for low-carbon energy such as renewable energy and nuclear power is increasing due to demand for AI-based data centers and semiconductor factories across the country.
Industry Minister Yoji Muto, who attended Wednesday’s panel meeting, said Japan needs to strengthen its energy security and not rely too much on a single source of supply.
Muto said, “Japan’s future growth will depend on how well we can secure decarbonized energy.” “It’s time to stop debating the choice between renewable energy and nuclear power. We should make the most of both.”
Japan has set a goal of achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and reducing emissions by 73% compared to 2013 by 2040.
The draft energy plan positions renewable energy as the main power source and calls for the development of next-generation energy sources such as solar cells and portable solar panels.
It outlines a number of risk scenarios, including the possibility that investments in renewable energy and cost savings will be lower than expected. However, some experts said the plan lacked a feasibility outlook for 2040 or a roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels.
The plan also calls for accelerating the restart of nuclear reactors that meet safety standards after the Fukushima disaster, and also proposes building next-generation reactors at power plants where existing reactors have been decommissioned. I am doing it.
Still, reaching the 20% goal would require all 33 of Japan’s operational nuclear reactors to be brought back online, and only 14 were brought back online after the Fukushima disaster. Experts believe that goal will be difficult to achieve given the current pace of safety reviews by nuclear regulators.
Despite criticism and skepticism about its feasibility, Japan remains determined to develop new nuclear reactors and pursue its struggling spent fuel reprocessing program to achieve a complete nuclear fuel cycle. .
