29 Dec (NucNet): Nuclear energy in Japan is accounting for only 1.1% of electricity production and reactors need to be brought back online if the country is to meet its climate goals, Japan Atomic Industrial Forum president Akio Takahashi has said.
In comments published on Jaif’s website, Mr Takahashi said commercial operation has been resumed at only three nuclear plants since all reactors were taken offline for post-Fukushima safety checks and upgrades. Those plants are Sendai-1, Sendai-2 and Ikata-3.
Japan has a target of reducing CO2 emissions by 26% from 2013 levels by the year 2030.
Mr Takahashi said to achieve the target, carbon emissions associated with power sources need to be cut, which means operating nuclear power plants.
Before the 2011 Fukushima-Daiichi accident Japan’s nuclear fleet had 43 commercial reactors producing around 30% of the country’s electricity.
According to recent government figures, Japan’s greenhouse gas emissions fell 3% to a five-year low in the financial year through to March due partly to the restart of nuclear plants.
Emissions fell for a second straight year to 1.32 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent, hitting the lowest since fiscal 2010, according to Ministry of Environment preliminary data.
