A decade after the disaster at the Fukushima plant, the Japanese government will launch a new program to build next-generation, small-size nuclear reactors. The move announced by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida comes amid the energy crisis accentuated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Japan, like the rest of developed countries, analyzes the way to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels. Germany announced this Thursday new saving measures, while France looks for new sources of supply.
Tokyo reported on the Industry Ministry's program to put seven additional nuclear reactors into operation in the summer of next year as a way to ensure a stable electricity supply. With these new facilities, Japan hopes to have a total of 17 new active nuclear reactors, including the ten that have already been approved. The country has set a goal for nuclear power to account for 20% to 22% of electricity supply by 2030.
"Nuclear power and renewable energy are essential to proceed with a green transformation," said the Japanese prime minister. “Russia's invasion has changed the global energy situation,” he added, according to Bloomberg.
Until now, Japan had avoided building new nuclear power plants after its very serious nuclear accident and opted instead to improve existing facilities. The announced decision marks a radical turnaround from the policy adopted after that 2011 accident, when an earthquake and subsequent tsunami caused fuel meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.
In Germany, the Government approved this Wednesday a battery of energy saving measures for next winter, among which the limitation of the use of lighting in public spaces stands out. Economy Minister Robert Habeck stated that “in general, the measures save energy. However, not to the point where we can sit back and say, 'That's enough.'" The minister added that "broadly speaking, they will reduce the use of gas between 2% and 2.5%". Foreign Minister Olaf Scholz's cabinet also approved on Wednesday the rule that will give priority to energy transport on the country's railways.
For his part, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, plans to land in Algiers today, Thursday, with a large delegation of 90 high-level people and an intense three-day program, marked by the healing of the complex relations between the two countries but also by the energy crisis. The visit comes at a time when Algeria has become a key country for the supply of gas to Europe.
