Low-Carbon Power Sources Exceeded 30% in Fiscal 2023; N-Plant Restart Delays, Slow Renewable Uptake Puts Targets at Risk

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:29 JST, November 22, 2024

Low-carbon power sources, including solar energy and nuclear power, exceeded 30% of total power generation for the first time since the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, according to the domestic energy supply and demand report for fiscal 2023.

The share of low-carbon power sources rose 4.0 percentage points to 31.4%. Renewable energy sources accounted for 22.9% of electricity generated, up 1.1 percentage points from the previous year, while nuclear power increased 2.9 percentage points to 8.5%.

The government has set a target of 36%-38% for renewable energy and 20%-22% for nuclear power in the fiscal 2030 power source composition, but the increase in renewable energy has only been about one percentage point per year and the resumption of some nuclear power plants has been delayed. To achieve the fiscal 2030 target, the pace will need to increase.

The government intends to revise the Strategic Energy Plan by the end of fiscal 2024 and propose the target power source composition for fiscal 2040, so that discussions on the final details will proceed based on the fiscal 2023 data.

Among renewable energy sources, solar power increased 0.6 percentage points to make up 9.8% of total energy generation, wind power increased 0.2 percentage points to 1.1%, and geothermal power increased slightly to 0.3%.

The share of nuclear power exceeded the post-earthquake high of fiscal 2021, mainly due to the restart of the No. 1 and No. 2 reactors at Kansai Electric Power Co.’s Takahama nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture.

Thermal power generation decreased 4.0 points to 68.6%, falling below 70% for the first time since the earthquake. Coal power was down 1.9 points to 28.5%, and liquefied natural gas (LNG) was down 0.9 points to 32.9%.

The government is working urgently to secure sufficient low-carbon power sources in order to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.