JAPAN will utilize nuclear power as much as possible along with renewable energy, a draft government plan showed Tuesday, departing from its earlier resolve to minimize dependence on atomic energy following the 2011 Fukushima crisis.
The Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry presented the draft basic energy plan, a medium- to long-term policy guideline, to a meeting of experts. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s Cabinet is expected to approve the energy plan by around February.
It is estimated that nuclear power will account for around 20 per cent of the country’s total energy output in fiscal 2040, the same level as the fiscal 2030 target of 20 to 22 per cent, according to ministry projections. It is based on the assumption that around 30 reactors, or the majority of existing ones, will be restarted.
Since electricity demand is expected to rise further due to the prevalence of artificial intelligence and data centres, among other reasons, the government aims to meet high demand by easing requirements for rebuilding nuclear plants.
As part of such efforts, utilities will be able to replace reactors destined for decommissioning with next-generation reactors on the premises of any of their plants, according to the draft.
Kyodo
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