The Japanese government has decided to replace outdated facilities with new, cutting-edge ones while extending the functioning of current nuclear power reactors. The action is a component of a strategy to combat global fuel shortages brought on by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and to become carbon neutral by 2050.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida presided over the GX Implementation Meeting. (Illustration: The Prime Minister’s Office)
To reach the objective of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050, an advisory group called the Green Transformation (GX) Executive Committee has been thinking about the implementation of significant changes in energy, all industries, the economy, and society since July. On December 22, the government organized a meeting to discuss how to execute GX. During this discussion, a 10-year road map was created as the “fundamental policy for the realization of GX.”
Japan will maximize the use of existing reactors under the new policy, which refers to nuclear power as “a power source that contributes to energy security and has a high decarbonization effect,” by restarting as many of them as possible and extending the operating life of aging ones past the current 60-year limit. The nation will create cutting-edge reactors to replace ones that are retired, the ministry added.
Around 30% of the country’s electricity had been produced by Japan’s 54 reactors before the Fukushima Daiichi plant accident in March 2011. However, the nation’s nuclear generation had been put on hold while waiting for regulatory change within 14 months of the catastrophe. Ten of Japan’s 39 operational reactors have already started operation after passing inspections proving they adhere to the new regulatory safety standards. 17 more reactors have submitted restart applications. Just 7.2% of the nation’s electricity was generated via nuclear energy in 2021.
Japanese reactors have a notional operating period of 40 years under updated regulations that took effect in July 2013. Depending on strict safety standards, extensions are only given once and are only valid for 20 years.
The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) of Japan adopted a draft of a new rule on December 21 that would allow reactors to run for longer than the present cap of 60 years. According to the amendment, in order to continue operating a reactor that has been in operation for 30 years or more, its operators must create a long-term reactor management plan and obtain regulator clearance at least once every 10 years.
By eliminating the time spent offline for inspections from the total service life, the new policy will essentially prolong the amount of time reactors can run after 60 years.
To replace the roughly 20 reactors that are slated for decommissioning, Japan will also develop and build “next-generation innovative reactors” under the new program.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries introduced its SRZ-1200 advanced pressurized water reactor concept in September. The 1200 MWe reactor was created in partnership with four Japanese utilities and is intended to adhere to the country’s higher regulatory safety criteria.
The appropriate bills to implement the new policy will be presented to an ordinary parliamentary session at the start of the year, according to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. A cabinet decision, which is anticipated to be made at the earliest in February, will formalize it.
The chairman of Japan’s Federation of Electric Power Companies, Kazuhiro Ikebe, commented on the new policy, saying: “Based on the policy presented this time, we, as electric power companies, will work to secure a stable supply of electricity by maximizing the use of renewable energy and nuclear power generation based on the premise of safety, decarbonizing thermal power generation, and promoting electrification. We are committed to doing everything in our power to become carbon neutral.
In order to create efficient systems and mechanisms that will contribute to securing a stable supply over the medium to long term as an overall electricity system, “we will focus on the maintenance of existing power sources and the construction of new power sources in the future specific system design.”
Source: World Nuclear News
