Japan’s prime minister said on Wednesday that his country would restart more defunct nuclear power plants and look into the feasibility of developing next-generation reactors.
Fumio Kishida’s remarks, reported by Reuters, build on his comments in May, and come at a time when Japan – a major importer of energy – amid ongoing uncertainty in global energy markets and a war between Russia and Russia. Wants to consolidate his options. Ukraine.
If fully realized, the move would represent a turnaround for the country’s energy policy following the 2011 Fukushima disaster, when Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant suffered a recession as a result of a powerful earthquake and tsunami.
Most of Japan’s nuclear plants have been dormant since then, but attitudes are changing. Earlier this month, a former executive director of the International Energy Agency said that public support in Japan for a nuclear restart is now more than 60%.
Japan is targeting carbon neutrality by 2050. Under an “ambitious approach”, the country’s Sixth Strategic Energy Plan envisages renewable energy to account for 36% to 38% of its electricity generation mix in 2030, with nuclear accounting for 20% to 22%.
According to the plan’s outline, “the sustainable use of nuclear energy shall be promoted on the principal premise that public confidence in nuclear energy should be achieved and safety ensured.”
While Japan is turning its attention to nuclear, the technology is not in favor of everyone.
Critics include Greenpeace. “Nuclear power is seen as a solution to our energy problems, but in reality it is complex and extremely expensive to manufacture,” the Environmental Organization’s website states.
“It also produces a huge amount of hazardous waste,” it adds. “Renewable energy is cheap and can be installed quickly. Together with battery storage, it can generate the power we need and reduce our emissions.