Japan approves limited nuclear restart

• 12 years ago (2012-06-20)
• Junior Isles

Asia 892 Europe 1089 Nuclear 659 Renewables 776

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The Japanese government has approved plans to restart units 3 and 4 at Kansai Electric Power Co.’s Ohi nuclear power station in western Japan, after a month without nuclear power for the first time in 40 years.

Unit 3 will start power generation on July 4th at the earliest, and reach full power by July 8th, while unit 4 is to start generation on July 20th and reach full power on July 2th.

"Keeping safety first and foremost, we will proceed step by step toward the restart of the reactors," said Makoto Yagi of Kansai Electric Power.

Anti-nuclear group ‘Mayors for a Nuclear Power Free Japan’ are protesting the government’s planned restart and has submitted a letter to Prime Minister Noda stating that nuclear power “has not only destroyed the regional economy, but also brought great shocks to the Japanese economy overall”.

Around 400 protestors demonstrating outside the Prime Minister’s office also supported the position of 73 serving and retiring mayors.

However, Issei Nishikawa, the governor of Fukui prefecture which oversees Ohi said: "I approve the plan because I have been assured of the government's safety efforts and because it will provide stability for our industries.”

Kansai Electric Power Co. officials insist nuclear power remains integral to Japan’s energy generation mix, the alternative being a significant power deficit in western Japan, particularly Osaka. The company expects demand to peak in mid-July or early August necessitating immediate action to avoid shortages.

The Japanese government has recently proposed a highly generous feed-in tariff of ¥42 for solar systems of 10 kW or more for up to 20 years in an attempt to diversify generation and stave off shortages. This tariff is double that offered in Germany and more than three times that paid in China, giving Japan the potential to be the world’s second-largest market for solar power generation.