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Japan announced plans to prolong the lifespan of nuclear reactors and replace old ones. It is a significant shift for a nation that wanted to phase out this energy source.
The new policy will allow Japan to restart as many existing reactors as possible. Moreover, the government pledged to develop next-generation reactors.
However, the Fukushima disaster led to stricter safety standards that delayed restart approvals for idled reactors. Also, experts are skeptical about these nuclear energy goals.
The paper for the new policy says nuclear energy has “an important role as a carbon-free baseload energy source in achieving supply stability and carbon neutrality.”
In other words, Japan sees it as a way to achieve carbon neutrality and become more eco-friendly.
That was why the country got one-third of its energy from 54 nuclear reactors before the 2011 Fukushima disaster.
Nowadays, Japan sees nuclear power as the key to achieving its net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
The advisory panel that outlined the new policy said the return to nuclear is necessary to maintain its energy security.
It explained, “There is a risk of an energy crisis for the first time since the 1973 oil crisis in the face of a severely tense situation.
