Like Germany and Switzerland, Japan has announced plans to rid itself of nuclear power.
In a proposal announced last week, the Japanese government said it would endeavour to phase out nuclear power by 2040. This is no small task given a third of the country’s electricity was generated by nuclear power plants prior to last year’s Fukushima nuclear disaster.
Under the plan, reactors would be shut down when more than 40 years old, no more new reactors will be built and current reactors will only be restarted if they pass muster under standards to be set by a new nuclear agency.
While Greenpeace welcomed the announcement, the organisation said the timeline was too long.
“The government’s strategy involves a nuclear phase-out nearly two decades later than needed, It also provides clarity for the business community that renewable power, not nuclear, is the future,” said Kazue Suzuki, Greenpeace Japan nuclear campaigner.
Switzerland has set a goal of being nuclear free by 2034 and nuclear’s share of power generation in that country is 39%. Germany intends ditching nuclear altogether within a decade.
Suzuki says the government’s strategy should be a starting point for a far more ambitious renewable policy. The country has already shown it is willing to embrace solar power on a grand scale.
“On July 1, after just one month of operation, 560MW or 20% of the government’s total aim for nine-months was achieved, showing that right legislation is already kick-starting a renewable energy boom,” says a Greenpeace statement.
Japan’s feed in tariff pays ¥42 per kilowatt-hour (AUD 50.7c at current exchange rates) for electricity generated by systems with a capacity of 10 kW or more, and for the next 20 years. Owners of lower capacity systems receive the same rate, but for a shorter period of 10 years.
Commenting on the non-binding nature of the no-nuke policy, Suzuki said it must become law, “otherwise it will be seen as nothing but lip service to buy votes before the coming election.”
