By : Inspenet, December 20, 2022
Nuclear power in Japan is once again a reality, after a major change in its nuclear policy was confirmed to deal with the energy crisis, more than a decade after the 2011 Fukushima catastrophe forced it to paralyze most of their reactors.
[post_relacionado]Public opinion has been hostile to nuclear power since a major earthquake and tsunami caused a meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, but the mood has changed due to rising energy costs, according to Reuters information. amid the protracted war in Ukraine and repeated energy crises in both summer and winter.
Japan, a country that had previously declared that it had no plans to build new reactors, will now try to replace those that have been dismantled and extend the useful life of others, according to the Ministry of Industry.
The abrupt change in policy comes after Prime Minister Fumio Kishida declared in August that Japan would study the development of next-generation reactors, and instructed the Ministry of Industry to set out a policy plan aimed at expanding the use of nuclear power before the end of this year.
Under a strategic energy plan approved by the Council of Ministers last year, Japan set out to reduce its reliance on nuclear power as much as possible.
But the new policy, approved on Friday by a group of industry ministry experts, will allow existing nuclear reactors to operate beyond the current 60-year limit and support the development of new ones. Details will be debated in parliament next year, according to an industry ministry official.
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