information about Fukushima published in English in Japanese media info publiée en anglais dans la presse japonaise
25 Février 2014
February 25, 2014
Kyodo
The government Tuesday unveiled a draft energy policy that characterizes atomic power as an important electricity source, although the draft waters down some wording seen in an earlier version as signaling a strong pro-nuclear tone.
In the draft, the government said nuclear energy is an “important base-load power source” that usually supplies electricity continuously through the day, while vowing to push for the restart of reactors that have satisfied new safety requirements introduced after the 2011 Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant disaster.
The government initially planned to secure Cabinet approval of the so-called Basic Energy Plan in January, having already unveiled a draft document a month earlier. But it apparently decided to proceed more slowly after seeing how the content stirred controversy among some ruling party lawmakers who found the tone of the plan to be too strongly pro-nuclear.
The original draft said nuclear power is “important” and also serves as a “foundation” for the stability of Japan’s energy supply.
But in the latest draft, the word foundation was removed.
As for Japan’s long-standing spent nuclear fuel recycling policy, the revised document said the government will promote it, but added that there should be “flexibility” in the medium to long term.
Meanwhile, the government added emphasis to the section on renewable energy, saying that efforts to accelerate the introduction of such sources will continue “beyond” the period of about three years starting from 2013.
The government is legally required to review the Basic Energy Plan at least every three years by taking into consideration changes in the energy situation.
The previous plan compiled in 2010 aimed to boost the nation’s reliance on nuclear power to some 50 percent of its total electricity in 2030 from around 30 percent before the Fukushima disaster.
In 2012 the previous government, led by the Democratic Party of Japan, now the main opposition party, decided on what it called an “energy strategy” aiming to phase out nuclear power by the end of the 2030s, but it did not go so far as to revise the Basic Energy Plan that was expected to stipulate detailed measures to realize the strategy.
All of the 48 commercial reactors in Japan are now offline amid heightened safety concerns after the nuclear crisis, with thermal power generation making up for the shortfall.
Renewable energy accounted for less than 2 percent of the total electricity generated in fiscal 2012 when excluding hydropower.
First energy plan since Fukushima crisis says nuclear power important energy source
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/politics/AJ201402250057
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Japan unveiled its first draft energy policy since the Fukushima meltdowns three years ago, saying nuclear power remains an important source of electricity for the country.
The draft presented Feb. 25 to the Cabinet for approval expected in March, said Japan's nuclear energy dependency will be reduced as much as possible, but that reactors meeting new safety standards set after the 2011 nuclear crisis should be restarted.
Japan has 48 commercial reactors, but all are offline until and unless they pass the new safety requirements.
The draft of the Basic Energy Plan said that a mix of nuclear, renewables and fossil fuel will be the most reliable and stable source of electricity to meet Japan's energy needs. It did not specify the exact mix, citing uncertain factors such as the number of reactor restarts and the pace of renewable energy development.
The government had planned to release the draft in January but a recommendation submitted by an expert panel was judged to be too pro-nuclear. The draft unveiled on Feb. 25 added slightly more emphasis on renewable energy.
Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, in charge of compiling the plan, told reporters that "in principle, the direction has not changed."
He called for additional efforts to accelerate the development of renewable energy over the next few years.
The draft says Japan will continue its nuclear fuel recycling policy for now despite uncertainty at key facilities for the program, but added there is a need for "flexibility" for possible changes to the policy down the road.
Japan has tons of spent fuel and a stockpile of extracted plutonium, causing international concerns about nuclear proliferation.
Officials have said the most realistic way to consume and reduce the plutonium is to restart the reactors to burn it.
The previous energy plan compiled in 2010 called for a boost in nuclear power to about half of Japan's electricity needs by 2030 from about one-third before the Fukushima disaster.
Japan's govt. drafts basic energy plan
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20140225_21.html
Japan's government has drafted a new basic energy plan that defines nuclear power as an important "base-load" energy source.
The draft was adopted at Tuesday's meeting of relevant cabinet ministers. How to define nuclear power has been a focal issue since the 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.
An initial draft issued last year defined nuclear power as an important, fundamental base energy source. The description drew criticism from members of governing parties for giving nuclear energy too high a status.
"Base-load energy" refers to a power source that can continuously supply electricity day and night in a stable manner.
Government officials say the phrase is a description of capability, and is not an indication of the power source's importance in the energy market.
The draft says the government will restart nuclear plants whose safety has been established by the highest standards in the world as designated by the Nuclear Regulation Authority.
It says the nation's policy of recycling spent nuclear fuel should be tackled with strategic flexibility, according to how much nuclear power plants are used in the future.
The government will present the energy plan to the governing parties, and later have it approved by all members of the cabinet.
Feb. 25, 2014 - Updated 03:45 UTC
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