Japan Phase Out Nuclear Power Plants

Japan Sets Policy to Phase Out Nuclear Power Plants by 2040
September 14, 2012

By the year 2040 Japan plans to phase out the use of nuclear power plants. Before last years nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, Japan used the reactors for 30 percent of their electrical energy with plans to increase the amount. Now, the government is deciding if they should close all the plants or keep some open to provide for a smaller amount of the country's electrical needs.

It is unclear what shutting down the plants would do to the country that is already limited in its resources. Political and business leaders fear it will cause the country to have higher energy prices and put them in more economic weakness. Even though many express their knowledge of what could economically could happen to Japan there is still wide support for the antinuclear movement.

The new strategy proposed by the government is said to be too vague and drawn out as well as unrealistic and unreachable. If there are reactors under construction those could possibly be exempt from the 2040 deadline and still be used up into the 2070's which would cause some challenges for the phase out plan.

If the reactors that are currently idle are closed down power companies would expect losses up to $55.9 billion. Japan could not afford for those companies to go bankrupt. They are already struggling to keep up with the energy demands and had to ask citizens to conserve energy. Increase in energy costs would hurt their economy and possibly cause businesses to go overseas.

Phasing out nuclear power plants will make Japan be more dependent on oil and natural gas imports.

It is becoming increasingly more important for cleaner energy sources to be available as well as for countries to be able to be independent in their energy sources.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/15/world/asia/japan-will-try-to-halt-nuclear-power-by-the-end-of-the-2030s.html?_r=1&ref=earth