‘Maximum Use’ of Nuclear Power Eyed in Revised Energy Plan; Japan Seeks Decarbonization, Stable Supply of Enough Energy

The Yomiuri Shimbun

7:00 JST, December 13, 2024

The government plans to promote the “maximum utilization” of nuclear power generation in the upcoming revision of the Strategic Energy Plan, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.

This will represent a change of direction from the current plan, which stipulates the aim to “reduce dependency … as much as possible.”

The revisions clarify a policy of utilizing nuclear power to respond to rising demand for electricity, as well as for decarbonization and to secure a stable supply of electricity.

The strategic energy plan presents the nation’s mid- to long-term directions for energy policy, and is revised every three years. The latest revision will indicate for the first time Japan’s targets for its breakdown of energy sources in fiscal 2040, aiming for 40%-50% renewable energy, 20% nuclear power and 30%-40% thermal power.

The current target for fiscal 2030 is 36-38% renewable energy, 20-22% nuclear power, and 41% thermal power. However, records show that 70% of electricity depended on thermal power generation in fiscal 2023.

Operations have not fully resumed at nuclear power reactors, so up to three times more electricity needs to be generated from renewable energy sources.

It will not be easy to achieve the energy targets.

Electricity demand is expected to increase by up to 20% in anticipation of an increase in data centers and semiconductor factories due to the spread of artificial intelligence and other factors.

The revision will outline policy directions of accelerating the restart of nuclear power reactors and replacing existing reactors with the next-generation innovative reactors.

If power companies decide to decommission reactors, they will be allowed to rebuild new reactors at both the same site and other sites. Current regulations restrict the building of new reactors to the site of the same nuclear power plant where decommissioning is set to take place.

By easing the regulation of replacement sites, the government aims to maintain a certain level of electricity from nuclear power generation, even when more reactors are decommissioned due to their deterioration. The revision includes a policy of not increasing the overall number of reactors from the number before the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.

The policy of maximizing the use of nuclear power is being formulated because it will be difficult to ensure a stable supply and reduce the cost of power generation simply by expanding renewable energy sources, which would lead to a decline in industrial competitiveness.

Taking a lesson from the soaring fuel prices caused by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the policy aims to secure domestic sources of decarbonized power by utilizing nuclear power.

Renewable energy will remain a main source of power generation by expanding the use of next-generation solar cells. Efforts to decarbonize thermal power generation will be made by utilizing hydrogen and ammonia, which do not emit carbon dioxide, as fuel.

The government will present the draft of the strategic energy plan to a meeting of the advisory committee for natural resources and energy, scheduled for as early as next week. It hopes to receive Cabinet approval by next March.

The government has set a goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, and seeks to reduce GHG emissions by 73% in fiscal 2040 from the fiscal 2013 level.