Japan’s shift away from nuclear energy began on Wednesday with the cabinet approval of its new energy plan. However, ministers said the new plan excludes the 2030 deadline for going nuclear-free that was previously proposed, leaving a loophole for the continued operation of existing plants or plants currently under construction.
Under the plan, the country’s 50 existing reactors will be decommissioned at the end of 40 years of operation and no new reactors will be approved. Several reactors already under construction will be subject to safety approvals from a new regulatory agency, and the 48 reactors that remain idle since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster will also need approval from the same agency before they can restart.
Prior to the Fukushima event, Japan generated 30 per cent of its power through nuclear energy. The country has been scrambling to ramp up renewable energy sources, but has still had to depend on increased imports of fossil fuels - a move that has wrought havoc on Japan’s greenhouse gas emissions targets.
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