near the end of their designed lifetime (30 or 40 years) and exacerbating the issue of
nuclear safety.
Currently, the government of Moon Jae-In has set out a major energy policy of
denuclearization, but a total of six nuclear reactors with a capacity of 8400 MW are
currently under construction. The policy is, in effect, gradual denuclearization. If it is
assumed that plants currently under construction will all be operational by 2024,
then there will be nuclear power plants in operation in South Korea at least up
to 2083.
11.5.3 The State of Nuclear Power in Japan
Since the enactment of the Atomic Energy Basic Law in December 1955, Japan has
actively promoted the construction and operation of nuclear power plants as a
national policy, with nuclear power as a major energy source. In 1974, the Three
Power Supply Laws were enacted to provide greater financial support to municipalities located in and around nuclear power plants (Power Supply Development
Promotion Tax Law, Special Accounting Law for Measures to Promote Power
Supply Development, and Regional Development Law for the Surrounding Areas
of Power Generation Facilities), which accelerated the spread of nuclear power.
Until just before the 2011 Fukushima accident, 54 nuclear reactors provided
25–30% of the country’s electricity. Since the accident, all reactors were shut
down, and as shown in Fig. 11.5, electricity provision from nuclear fell to 5% in
2018. There remain strong calls for the elimination of nuclear power in Japan, but at
this stage, there are no alternative energy sources that do not rely on imported
resources, so there are many who want reactors currently under inspection to be
restarted.
At the time of the Fukushima disaster, Japan’s basic energy plan called for
nuclear power to provide about half of total power generation until 2030. At the
time, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) positioned nuclear power as the
“most important power source” for the future. However, after the accident at the
Fukushima nuclear power plant, public confidence in nuclear power has wavered
greatly, and when the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) came to power, it set a
scenario of denuclearization in the 2030s as an energy policy goal (Energy and
Environment Council 2012).
However, since the LDP took over government again in December 2012, nuclear
power is once more positioned as an important energy source. The Fifth Basic
Energy Plan (New Energy Basic Plan) was approved by the cabinet in July 2018.
Although classifying renewable energy for the first time as a “mainstay energy
source” for 2030, nuclear power remains a “baseload power source” with a share
of 20–22% of total power generation.
At the end of June 2019, 15 nuclear power plants have been reviewed by the
Nuclear Regulatory Commission and approved to resume operation, 12 are still
under review, 9 have not yet applied for review, and 17 have abandoned the review
210
W. Zhou et al.
nuclear safety.
Currently, the government of Moon Jae-In has set out a major energy policy of
denuclearization, but a total of six nuclear reactors with a capacity of 8400 MW are
currently under construction. The policy is, in effect, gradual denuclearization. If it is
assumed that plants currently under construction will all be operational by 2024,
then there will be nuclear power plants in operation in South Korea at least up
to 2083.
11.5.3 The State of Nuclear Power in Japan
Since the enactment of the Atomic Energy Basic Law in December 1955, Japan has
actively promoted the construction and operation of nuclear power plants as a
national policy, with nuclear power as a major energy source. In 1974, the Three
Power Supply Laws were enacted to provide greater financial support to municipalities located in and around nuclear power plants (Power Supply Development
Promotion Tax Law, Special Accounting Law for Measures to Promote Power
Supply Development, and Regional Development Law for the Surrounding Areas
of Power Generation Facilities), which accelerated the spread of nuclear power.
Until just before the 2011 Fukushima accident, 54 nuclear reactors provided
25–30% of the country’s electricity. Since the accident, all reactors were shut
down, and as shown in Fig. 11.5, electricity provision from nuclear fell to 5% in
2018. There remain strong calls for the elimination of nuclear power in Japan, but at
this stage, there are no alternative energy sources that do not rely on imported
resources, so there are many who want reactors currently under inspection to be
restarted.
At the time of the Fukushima disaster, Japan’s basic energy plan called for
nuclear power to provide about half of total power generation until 2030. At the
time, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) positioned nuclear power as the
“most important power source” for the future. However, after the accident at the
Fukushima nuclear power plant, public confidence in nuclear power has wavered
greatly, and when the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) came to power, it set a
scenario of denuclearization in the 2030s as an energy policy goal (Energy and
Environment Council 2012).
However, since the LDP took over government again in December 2012, nuclear
power is once more positioned as an important energy source. The Fifth Basic
Energy Plan (New Energy Basic Plan) was approved by the cabinet in July 2018.
Although classifying renewable energy for the first time as a “mainstay energy
source” for 2030, nuclear power remains a “baseload power source” with a share
of 20–22% of total power generation.
At the end of June 2019, 15 nuclear power plants have been reviewed by the
Nuclear Regulatory Commission and approved to resume operation, 12 are still
under review, 9 have not yet applied for review, and 17 have abandoned the review
210
W. Zhou et al.