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Its geographic proximity is an advantage since LNG can only be stored for two weeks and must be continuously sourced. Japan depends on Russia for roughly 9 percent of its LNG imports. But the supply of LNG has changed dramatically since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

For many years, the price of LNG has remained consistently low. But in recent years, LNG power plants have not only supplemented unstable sources of renewable energy but have also taken on a role as a baseload power source, making Japan more dependent on LNG imports. Nuclear power and coal fired power plants have been a stable source of baseload power. Japan’s mountainous topography and limited sun exposure during winter make batteries essential to expanding weather-dependent renewable energy sources.

Advertisementīut a major obstacle is manufacturing commercially viable backup storage batteries. Last year, the Tokyo metropolitan government announced a compulsory solar panel mandate on new homes built after fiscal year 2025. It aims to double solar and wind generation by 2030. While some experts believe the promotion of nuclear power plants has become a drag on the introduction of renewable energy, the government has also been actively promoting the development of solar power and offshore wind power. This means a small to medium-sized thermal power plant can cause a blackout should demand outstrip supply. Japan’s electricity reserve ratio, which indicates its electricity surplus, is expected to fall below the 3 percent minimum needed for a stable supply. In fiscal year 2021 Japan’s energy self-sufficiency rate stood at 13.4 percent – lower than many other developed countries. Japan is walking an energy tightrope in the long term as well as short term.

Meanwhile, the construction of next generation nuclear reactors will begin in 2030, though it is likely to take some 10 years before they become fully operational. But some experts are doubtful whether the additional nuclear reactors can pass the stricter safety tests by 2030. Next summer, the government aims to add seven reactors back into operation. But the government is now seeking to boost the figure to as much as 22 percent by 2030, which will require some 27 operational nuclear reactors. Just $5 a month.īefore the Fukushima nuclear accident, nuclear power accounted for 30 percent of Japan’s energy needs as of March 2021, the share of nuclear power had plunged to just 3.9 percent.

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Get the NewsletterĪccording to Japan’s latest nuclear energy policy, “nuclear power serves an important role as a carbon free baseload energy source in achieving supply stability and carbon neutrality.” That signals a major shift in the nation’s mood toward nuclear energy.Įnjoying this article? Click here to subscribe for full access. Get briefed on the story of the week, and developing stories to watch across the Asia-Pacific. In doing so, Japan follows Europe and the United States, which have extended the life of nuclear reactors as long as safety tests are passed. Now soaring energy costs have prompted the government to extend the 60-year operating limit for nuclear reactors and develop next-generation reactors to replace them. In response, the government shut down all 54 nuclear reactors and began phasing out nuclear power from the total energy mix. But in the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, anti-nuclear power sentiment gripped Japan. Nuclear power has traditionally been Japan’s main low carbon energy source. By summertime, Japan narrowly avoided power outages.ĭespite pledging to decarbonize the economy through renewables and the country’s centerpiece hydrogen energy strategy, Japan is pivoting back to nuclear power in an attempt to regain some energy independence. Last March, for the first time in seven years, residents were urged to curb power consumption amid a global energy squeeze and colder weather attributed to the La Nina weather phenomenon. “Warm biz,” the government’s latest campaign, encourages residents to dress warmly in turtlenecks and sweaters in an effort to prevent blackouts. This winter Japan is once again asking households and companies to conserve electricity as the country braces for falling temperatures.

Power crunch