Natural gas for Fukui Pref.

February 7, 2013

Fukui Prefecture looks to replace nuclear plants with natural gas

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20130207p2a00m0na009000c.html

The Fukui Prefectural Government will establish a new group on Feb. 8 to consider promoting liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants as a replacement for nuclear energy.

Fukui Prefecture holds 14 nuclear reactors, but with reactivation delayed and the possibility of active faults lying underneath the facilities, the prefectural government appears to be strongly concerned about the local economies, as regional incomes have fallen and employment has suffered.

However, Fukui Gov. Issei Nishikawa has said that "nuclear plants continue to be an important power source base."

The new group will consist of 11 people, including Nishikawa and economic experts. They will look into possible locations for LNG bases and thermal power plants, effects on local economies, and other factors. Officials from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and Special Advisor to the Cabinet Secretariat Satoshi Fujii, who has called for the need for better disaster-preparedness, will also join the group. Their participation may be due to the national government's desire to secure non-nuclear energy sources on the Sea of Japan coast in preparation against a Nankai Trough quake.