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New Japanese power plan replaces nuclear with renewables
- 12 years ago (2012-09-01)
- Junior Isles
Japanese Environment Minister Goshi Hosono has released Japan’s new post-Fukushima power strategy, which aims to boost the generating capacity of four renewable energy sources by more than six-fold and make it possible to eliminate all nuclear power, all by 2030.
Hosono said his ministry plans to increase annual generation capacity by improving offshore wind, geothermal, biomass and tidal power sources to supply as much as 19.41 GW by 2030, compared with 2.96 GW in fiscal 2010.
Specific targets were set at 8.03 GW for offshore wind power, 3.88 GW for geothermal power, 6 GW for biomass power, and 1.5 GW for tidal power.
Back in fiscal 2010, renewable generation totals stood at 30 MW for offshore wind, 530 MW for geothermal power, 2.4 GW for biomass power and zero for tidal power.
The government is considering the viability of cutting nuclear energy's share of total power generation to zero, 15 per cent, 20 per cent and 25 per cent by 2030. The announced strategy is designed to allow for the zero per cent option.
Hosono said floating ocean wind power generators should be developed by 2020 to achieve the target of generating the same output as eight nuclear reactors.
The Japanese government is currently struggling with the nuclear lobby in appointing a new nuclear regulatory commission.
It has until Sept. 26 to set up the new body, but some Democratic Party of Japan (DJP) members, including ex-Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, oppose appointing the former acting chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, Shunichi Tanaka, as head of the regulatory body since his pro-nuclear position might cause problems for the new power plan.
A vote is unlikely in the current session, and there is concern within the DPJ that forcing the votes could cause more lawmakers to quit the party.
Further, if the Diet doesn't act in time then the commission's current members can be reappointed as a stopgap measure.
