Last year, Japan’s energy system relied mainly on coal and natural gas. Fossil fuels produced over 60 percent. electricity. Now the Japanese government has proposed a new energy strategy that calls for the use of both nuclear energy and renewable energy sources. The draft policy to be adopted also recommends the construction of entirely new reactors.
1/5 of the energy mix is to come from nuclear power
According to the strategy developed by the Ministry of Commerce and a group of experts, in fiscal year 2040 nuclear energy should constitute about 20 percent. national energy mix, and renewable energy approximately 40 to 50 percent. The remaining 30 to 40 percent. Japan’s energy mix is to be filled with fossil fuels.
This is an extension of the previous target of nuclear energy accounting for 20%. up to 22 percent mix by 2030, which shows that the country’s commitment to nuclear technology will continue into the next decade.
The latest data from the Ministry of Commerce shows that in fiscal year 2023, renewable energy sources accounted for approximately 23%. energy mix, nuclear energy about 8.5 percent
Japan intends to increase the share of renewable energy sources and nuclear energy in the energy mix / Bloomberg
Clean energy key to Japan’s development
Carbon-free energy is seen as key to enabling Japan to attract more data center operators and advanced manufacturing such as semiconductor factories.
Alphabet, Google and Nvidia-backed cloud services company Ubitus KK have expressed interest in using nuclear power from Japanese power plants. Other companies, including Microsoft, have invested in building local solar plants.
Japan, the fifth largest polluter in the world
Japan is too slow to get rid of fossil fuels, according to scientists and climate groups. A change in energy strategy should slightly accelerate the process of decarbonization, currently the world’s fifth largest polluter.
Japan is currently considering a new target to reduce emissions by 60%. by 2035 compared to 2013 levels. This is a big challenge, although it is still a less ambitious target than in countries such as the UK.
The tragedy in Fukushima stopped the development of nuclear energy
Nuclear power previously made up about one third of Japan’s energy mix. However, after the disaster at the Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant in 2011, all 54 reactors in the country were shut down. However, currently of the 33 reactors still fully operational, only 14 are online.
Japan should consider replacing decommissioned power plants with new, advanced reactors, an advisory panel has recommended.
