Japan’s New Energy Plan: A Balance Between Nuclear, Renewables, and Fossil Fuels for 2030 and Beyond
Japan’s draft new energy policy that would guide the country for many decades ahead has been planned to strike a balance in energy production between nuclear, renewable sources, and fossil fuels. This set policy to be finalized for review by a government-appointed panel of experts means nuclear energy will play an increased role, along with a growing usage of renewal energies, which the country is set to cover its needs to grow in its energy requirements and decarbonization processes.
It seeks, above all, to have in place a low-carbon reliable energy mix so that, eventually, there will be enough to feed the growing demand for power from AI and semiconductor manufacturing. That is crucial for the economy of Japan, and industries have allied with commitment to net-zero emissions by 2050 which challenges Japan to rethink its energy strategy.
Target Energy Mix by 2030
The current energy plan set for 2030 is to set ambitious goals for the composition of energy for the country. For nuclear, the target stands at 20-22 percent of the country’s energy mix for 2030, renewable sources at 36-38 percent, and fossil fuels at 41 percent. This contrasts with the past years whereby the country was relying much on fossil fuel, especially coal, and there were issues regarding the share of nuclear and renewable energy.
The new target is the most ambitious so far, set for 2040. The plan foresees an increase of nuclear power to 20 percent in the energy supply. So far, it had achieved only 8.5 percent in 2023. On the other hand, renewable energy is poised to jump dramatically to 40-50 percent of the energy mix from the current 22.9 percent of 2023. The energy supply will still remain coal-fired at around 70 percent today, projected to decline to 30-40 percent.
Role of Nuclear Energy in the Future of Japan
The major shift in energy policy is that importance is being given to nuclear power. Ever since the Fukushima disaster of 2011, Japan had announced a policy of phasing out nuclear energy, and thus, its share in the energy mix has drastically come down. The new policy seems to reverse that approach however to maximize the use of nuclear energy as an essential element of the strategy of Japan’s energy policy. This way, the government paid all its attention to restarting reactors passing after the safety standards after the Fukushima accident and on next-generation reactors in nuclear power plants under construction.
To achieve the target of meeting up to 20 percent nuclear sources for energy in 2040, they should fire up all the operating 33 nuclear reactors which still stand at 14 at the moment. But the dog-trotting speed in conducting safety checks by Japan nuclear watchdog throws a very very serious question on whether their 20 percent nuclear goal will be attained.
Despite the challenges, Japan is significantly committed to the development of advanced nuclear reactors and tries to create a complete nuclear fuel cycle through a struggling spent fuel reprocessing program. Nuclear energy is said to be a vital tool in meeting the decarbonization targets and energy security against the ever-growing demand for electricity.
Importance of Renewable Energy
It will be seen that renewable energy will also become the core thrust of the new policy. Renewable energy, by 2040 in Japan, is to scale up to 40 to 50 percent of the mix. It is an effort from their side to reduce as much fossil fuel as is possible and also to come down on carbon emissions as much as possible. And among these focuses, it comes in developing the technologies on solar energy. It will encompass solar batteries and portable solar panels, all of which are expected to power the process of change in a clean system of energy.
This policy will focus on significant investments in funds for next-generation forms of energy and technology. The feasibilities of this change generate some criticism, but this will continue its push into renewable energy because still people need clean sources of energy.
Challenges and Concerns
However, many experts support the new energy plan and yet some problems arise: one of these problems relates to the new reactors not being restarted on speed: even when Japan starts the 33 operable reactors that will be finally fully launched, it can face difficult times in striving for hitting its nuclear targets. Problems also surround high speeds that renewable energy infrastructures are upgraded at since underinvestment and slow cost drops can occur.
Other experts have indicated that there is no plan for the down-phasing of fossil fuel and investment gaps in renewables. Additionally, experts revealed that the country has overreliance on few sources of energy, so Japan is sensitive to supply disruptions or shifts in price.
The Way Ahead
The Japanese energy transition will therefore be a balancing act between nuclear, renewable, and fossil fuel usage. On track are the efforts of the government to strengthen the energy security of the nation so that the country’s reliable and low-carbon energy mix is developed towards growth and decarbonizing the economy. Challenges will, however remain in the timeliest development of renewable energy technologies, ensuring the safe restart of nuclear reactors, and weaning off fossil fuel dependency.
The draft energy policy should be nodded to by the Cabinet following a consultative process by March 2024. After that, it will take over the existing energy policy in place since 2021, and it will become a guide to future decades of the country’s energy policies.
Conclusion
It shifts from the old direction to change and shift towards emerging new directions of the future. Reducing dependence on fossil source, the new direction continues with the use of both nuclear and renewable sources simultaneously for use in the country, ensuring balance amongst them while aiming to achieve its goal, having net-zero emission by 2050 in this present context.
Source: Associated Press