"Are they just going to go ahead?"

April 29, 2015

Outrage in Fukushima Prefecture at gov't's revival plan for nuclear power

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20150429p2a00m0na006000c.html

The national energy supply plan released by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry on April 28 was met with dismay in Fukushima Prefecture, since its proposed national energy mix for 2030 is premised upon a revival of nuclear power -- despite the existence of numerous local electric power utilities that use renewable energy.

More than 110,000 Fukushima Prefecture residents remain displaced both within and outside the prefecture following the 2011 meltdowns at the Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant.

In the village of Iitate, where all residents remain displaced, local villagers raised funds for the Iitate Electric Power Co. -- a locally produced, locally consumed utility that is premised upon the creation of electric power using natural sources from the village.

Laments company president Minoru Kobayashi, 62, "Is the government truly planning to continue relying upon nuclear power, even after causing such a major disaster?"

Iitate village lost its rice fields, forests, and livestock -- in other words, its lifeblood -- due to the nuclear disaster. Kobayashi established the company last year in September, basing it upon the slogan "a power station of the villagers, by the villagers, for the villagers."

The firm began selling power generated at a photovoltaic power plant that was launched in the village this year in February, and also has future plans to generate wind and biomass energy.

"As time passes, are they just going to go ahead and forget about what happened at the time of the accident, and about the disaster areas?" asked Kobayashi, mincing no words against the government.

Prior to the establishment of the Iitate Electric Power Co., citizens in the Fukushima Prefecture city of Kitakata funded and set up the Aizu Electric Power Co. in August 2013. Commented company president Yauemon Sato, 64, "I find the government's attachment to nuclear power completely incomprehensible."

The company began operating a large-scale photovoltaic power plant last year in October, and has set up solar panels in a total of 23 locations. This fiscal year, it plans to generate a total of around 2.23 million kilowatts of energy for some 700 households.

"The government should base its energy ratio upon the premise of not using nuclear power -- and it should accelerate the speed at which it is implementing renewable energies," Sato said pointedly.