Japan adopts plan to maximise use of nuclear energy
23 December 2022
The Japanese government has adopted a plan to extend the operation of existing nuclear power reactors and replace aging facilities with new advanced ones. The move is part of a policy that addresses global fuel shortages following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and seeks to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
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The GX Implementation Meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (Image: Prime Minister's Office)
Since July, an advisory panel - the Green Transformation (GX) Executive Committee - has been considering the implementation of major changes in energy, all industries, and the economy and society in order to achieve the goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. The government's GX implementation meeting was held on 22 December, during which a roadmap for the next ten years was compiled as a "basic policy for the realisation of GX".
Under the new policy - which describes nuclear power as "a power source that contributes to energy security and has a high decarbonisation effect" - Japan will maximise the use of existing reactors by restarting as many of them as possible and prolonging the operating life of aging ones beyond the current 60-year limit. The government also said the country will develop advanced reactors to replace those that are decommissioned.
Prior to the March 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, Japan's 54 reactors had provided around 30% of the country's electricity. However, within 14 months of the accident, the country's nuclear generation had been brought to a standstill pending regulatory change. So far, ten of Japan's 39 operable reactors have cleared inspections confirming they meet the new regulatory safety standards and have resumed operation. Another 17 reactors have applied to restart. In 2021, nuclear energy provided just 7.2% of the country's electricity.
Under revised regulations which came into force in July 2013, Japanese reactors have a nominal operating period of 40 years. Extensions may be granted once only and are limited to a maximum of 20 years, contingent on exacting safety requirements.
On 21 December, Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) approved a draft of a new rule that would allow the reactors to be operated for more than the current limit of 60 years. Under the amendment, the operators of reactors in use for 30 years or longer must formulate a long-term reactor management plan and gain approval from the regulator at least once every 10 years if they are to continue to operate.
The new policy will effectively extend the period reactors can remain in operation beyond 60 years by excluding the time they spent offline for inspections from the total service life.
Under the new policy, Japan will also develop and construct "next-generation innovative reactors" to replace about 20 reactors that are set to be decommissioned.
In September, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries launched the SRZ-1200 advanced pressurised water reactor design. Developed in collaboration with four Japanese utilities, the 1200 MWe reactor is designed to meet the country's enhanced regulatory safety standards.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the government will submit the relevant bills to implement the new policy to an ordinary parliamentary session at the beginning of the year. It will be formalised through a cabinet decision expected in February at the earliest.
Commenting on the new policy, Kazuhiro Ikebe, Chairman of Japan's Federation of Electric Power Companies, said: "Based on the policy presented this time, we, as electric power companies, will work to secure a stable supply of electricity by maximising the use of renewable energy and nuclear power generation based on the premise of safety, decarbonising thermal power generation, and promoting electrification. We are determined to take all possible measures to achieve carbon neutrality.
"In the future specific system design, we will focus on the maintenance of existing power sources and the construction of new power sources in order to build effective systems and mechanisms that will contribute to securing a stable supply over the medium to long-term as an electricity system as a whole."
Researched and written by World Nuclear News
Why Japan is plotting a 'nuclear renaissance' 11 years after the disaster in Fukushima
As a power crunch grows and imported energy costs soar, the government is making a U-turn on nuclear energy
You'd never know Japan was in the throes of an energy crisis from a visit to the electric glow of Tokyo's Shibuya Crossing, with its beaming video billboards and speakers pumping music for the throng of pedestrians.
But the Japanese government has been urging businesses and households to conserve power amid a critical supply shortage, the surging cost of imported energy, and the country's pledge to end its reliance on fossil fuels like coal.
Earlier this year, the government issued its first-ever power supply warning to stave off widespread blackouts, and there's concern about it again this winter.
On top of asking people to turn things off when possible, government leaders have politely prodded them to don turtleneck sweaters and wear layers of warm clothes indoors to cut down on the need for electric heat.
The campaign may not be dimming things in power-ravenous Shibuya, but it's made some people more alive to the gaping energy hole that Japan is in.
"I'm aware of the problem, but I don't think there are many things we can do individually to help," said On Akatsuka, as she stood outside brightly-lit Shibuya station.
"People don't feel a sense of urgency about it," said her friend Kaoruko Amakawa.
The public conversation about conserving energy is far less contentious than the issue looming in the background: To deal with a global power crunch and ensure a stable supply, Japan's government is proposing a significant reversal of its energy policy, and pushing a revival of its much-maligned nuclear industry.
Reactor restarts and next-generation plants
The dramatic shift includes plans to restart nine mothballed reactors by the end of this winter and seven more by next summer.
On Nov. 28, the government presented a draft of its new nuclear policy, which proposes to extend the operational life of Japan's aging nuclear plants from 40 years to beyond 60, if safety upgrades are made.
Perhaps most controversially, the Industry Ministry is pushing to build new ones.
The policy says the government will promote the development and construction of next-generation reactors to replace nuclear plants slated for retirement.
That marks a reversal of the policy penned after the 2011 disaster in northern Japan, when an earthquake and tsunami triggered a triple meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant.
"In order to overcome our imminent crisis of a power supply crunch, we must take our utmost steps to mobilize all possible policies in the coming years and prepare for any emergency," said Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during a "green-transformation" conference in August.
Energy security push
Only a few years ago, it looked like sharply rising anti-nuclear sentiment would force Japan to completely abandon it as a major source of electricity.
All 54 of the country's reactors were shut down after the core meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, and regulators introduced stricter safety standards.
Most of them have remained idled for more than a decade or are being decommissioned.
At the time of the disaster, nuclear plants generated about a third of the country's power, with plans to increase it to 40 per cent within the decade.
But by 2021, after 10 reactors had been put back online, nuclear accounted for less than six per cent.
The government's current goal is for nuclear power to be at 20 to 22 per cent of the total by 2030.
Energy security has also become a growing concern because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and to help meet Japan's pledge to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
The resource-poor archipelago relies on imported fossil fuels for about 90 per cent of its energy needs, and is the world's largest importer of LNG (liquefied natural gas), a fossil fuel which is primarily used to generate power.
About 10 per cent of Japan's LNG is imported from Russia.
"To achieve energy security through price competitiveness, Japan has no other generation sources except nuclear at the moment," said Ryuzo Yamamoto, an energy security expert and professor emeritus at Tokoha University.
"Energy independence is the most important issue right now, and leaving the Russian influence is also critical."
Hisanori Nei, a professor at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies thinks Japan already has the capacity to create its own "nuclear renaissance."
Nei doesn't believe renewable energy sources will ever be able to meet all of the country's energy demand.
"Without nuclear, I personally believe it's impossible to get net-zero emissions, not only by 2050, but ever," said Nei.
Environmentalists have regularly shamed the Japanese government with the infamous "Fossil of the Day Award" for financing oil, gas, and coal projects, accusing the government of not taking climate change seriously.
Ukraine invasion creates 'political narrative'
The timing of the government's shift on nuclear power is almost certainly linked to the geopolitical situation around the world and shifting attitudes among the Japanese public, experts say.
One poll that national public broadcaster NHK released in September suggested that 48 per cent of people in Japan support the idea of building next-generation nuclear plants, while 32 per cent oppose it, and 20 per cent are undecided.
The war in Ukraine is also creating "a political narrative" for the Japanese government, said Phillip Lipscy, a political science professor and director of the Centre for the Study of Global Japan at the University of Toronto.
The Russian invasion has rattled markets and driven up prices, and concern about sourcing energy has recently led other countries to announce plans to further develop their nuclear industries, including South Korea, the United Kingdom and France.
"I don't think the [Japanese] government's view on this issue has changed. It's much more that this has been the preference all along," said Lipscy.
"But now, there's a sense that perhaps there's more of an opening to push forward with nuclear as one of the pillars of Japan's energy strategy."
People 'should not forget' Fukushima
There is deep skepticism over the feasibility and wisdom of the government's plans, however.
Experts point to the enormous regulatory hurdles and potential legal challenges from local communities that could get in the way, along with the prospect of huge cost overruns for building new plants.
And despite the recent polls suggesting a level of public support, there is also the issue of regaining wide-scale confidence in nuclear power, as Japan continues to reel from the aftermath of one the world's worst nuclear disasters.
"Trust is a very serious issue right now, and the government has not done very well in terms of communication," said Tatsujiro Suzuki, a professor at Nagasaki University and the former vice chairman of Japan's Atomic Energy Commission.
Suzuki says people "should not forget what happened at Fukushima," calling nuclear "a very risky energy source" with tremendous social and economic "legacies" that Japan is still struggling with, more than a decade later.
More than 30,000 evacuees from Fukushima are still displaced, and a decades-long cleanup process is still years from completion, with an estimated total cost of over $150 billion US.
"I think it's the wrong priority," said Suzuki of the government's shift back toward nuclear power.
"We should put more resources and investment into renewable energy. Nuclear power for me, it's kind of a last resort."
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