Japan increases the share of renewable sources to 24 percent – nuclear energy remains a central source

The Japanese government committed on Tuesday to modestly increase the share of energy produced from renewable sources to approximately a quarter in a new plan, according to which nuclear energy will still hold a central place.

Tokyo plans to meet 20 to 24 percent of its energy needs from renewable sources, including wind and solar energy, by 2030. Currently, their share is about 15 percent.

Critics have deemed the plan unambitious, and Foreign Minister Taro Kono himself stated this year that the stated goal is “significantly low” and the country’s commitments regarding renewable sources are “lamentable.” In comparison, the European Union recently decided to increase the share of renewable sources in the overall energy mix to 32 percent by 2030.

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The new Japanese plan also envisions that nuclear energy will cover more than 20 percent of the country’s energy needs by 2030, reflecting the government’s ongoing preference for the nuclear sector despite deep public concern following the Fukushima disaster in 2011.

The government has reduced the country’s dependence on this sector but defends nuclear energy as a source that does not involve harmful gas emissions and will help the country meet its climate change commitments.

Japan currently generates about 90 percent of its energy from fossil fuels, whose share is expected to be more than halved according to the new plan, supported by energy efficiency policies to reduce demand.

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After the Fukushima disaster, Japan began to rely more on fossil fuels such as coal, temporarily shutting down nuclear reactors.

Currently, six reactors are in operation, and despite the political support enjoyed by the nuclear industry, efforts by utility companies to activate them face public resistance.

Japanese TEPCO, which managed the nuclear plant in Fukushima, indicated last week that they are ready to continue building a new nuclear power plant in the north of the country.

– Despite strong commitments arising from the Fukushima accident, we believe it is our duty to ensure a sufficient supply of electricity to avoid supply constraints, said TEPCO chief Tomoaki Kobayakawa on Friday.

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The government plan also includes a promise to reduce the stockpile of 47 tons of plutonium, which is enough to produce 6,000 atomic bombs. However, most of the plutonium is stored abroad.

Japan has attempted to generate energy from plutonium, but decades of research have not resulted in an effective and commercially viable production method, and Tokyo is exposed to international criticism for continuing to produce and possess plutonium.