3 WHY JAPAN IS NO-LONGER A FRONT-RUNNER: DOMESTIC POLITICS …
65
level) by 2030, the LDP-Komeito government aims at only about 20%
increase from the current level (METI 2014).
On July 16, 2015, METI officially set a goal for the power generation mix in 2030. It ranked nuclear energy as a stable and cost-effective
source and allotted 20–22% for nuclear generation, while the allocation
for renewable energy was 22–24% due to relatively high costs of generation according to METI (2015). METI’s subcommittee of Long-term
Energy Supply and Demand Outlook received 2060 public comments for
about one month until July 1. Unlike previous treatment, which made
public all the comments received from approximately 89,000 people,
rating pro-and-con responses, and the results of their analysis of these
comments, METI did not disclose these details this time (Asahi Shimbun
2015c). Facing difficulties to build new nuclear reactors, the alternative
means for meeting the nuclear target in its energy policy is extending the
lifespan of existing reactors. 9 It is unknown how many existing power
plants can restart, but it is unlikely to meet the stipulated goal of the
20–22% nuclear option (see Koppenborg’s chapter in this book).
Similar setbacks are discernable in the FIT policy and concerning electricity deregulation. In September 2014, two years after the implementation of the FIT system, Kyushu EPCO stopped making new contracts to
connect renewable electricity generated by large private suppliers (over
10kWh) to its power grid. The reason was the lack of grid capacity
to receive electricity generated by renewable energy (Asahi Shimbun
2014). Since other utilities faced similar problems, METI decided to
provide subsidies to reinforce the power grid and to improve large-sized
storage batteries, and at the same time, reviewed the FIT policy aiming
at correcting the imbalance in different renewable energy sources. The
supply of solar power electricity grew 8.3 times between 2012 and 2017.
By contrast, the increase of other renewables between 2012 and 2017
was meager: wind power generation increased by about 35%, bioenergy
by about 28%, small-scale hydro 11%, and geothermal generation even
decreased slightly in 2017 (REI 2018a).
METI certainly needs to correct this imbalance in the supply of
electricity generated by renewable sources. However, the fundamental
problem is the way electric power companies decide the volume of
different sources of electricity that they connect to the electricity grid,
or the allocation of “possible amounts of connection.” This problem
and other problems relating to the policy of electricity deregulation stem
65
level) by 2030, the LDP-Komeito government aims at only about 20%
increase from the current level (METI 2014).
On July 16, 2015, METI officially set a goal for the power generation mix in 2030. It ranked nuclear energy as a stable and cost-effective
source and allotted 20–22% for nuclear generation, while the allocation
for renewable energy was 22–24% due to relatively high costs of generation according to METI (2015). METI’s subcommittee of Long-term
Energy Supply and Demand Outlook received 2060 public comments for
about one month until July 1. Unlike previous treatment, which made
public all the comments received from approximately 89,000 people,
rating pro-and-con responses, and the results of their analysis of these
comments, METI did not disclose these details this time (Asahi Shimbun
2015c). Facing difficulties to build new nuclear reactors, the alternative
means for meeting the nuclear target in its energy policy is extending the
lifespan of existing reactors. 9 It is unknown how many existing power
plants can restart, but it is unlikely to meet the stipulated goal of the
20–22% nuclear option (see Koppenborg’s chapter in this book).
Similar setbacks are discernable in the FIT policy and concerning electricity deregulation. In September 2014, two years after the implementation of the FIT system, Kyushu EPCO stopped making new contracts to
connect renewable electricity generated by large private suppliers (over
10kWh) to its power grid. The reason was the lack of grid capacity
to receive electricity generated by renewable energy (Asahi Shimbun
2014). Since other utilities faced similar problems, METI decided to
provide subsidies to reinforce the power grid and to improve large-sized
storage batteries, and at the same time, reviewed the FIT policy aiming
at correcting the imbalance in different renewable energy sources. The
supply of solar power electricity grew 8.3 times between 2012 and 2017.
By contrast, the increase of other renewables between 2012 and 2017
was meager: wind power generation increased by about 35%, bioenergy
by about 28%, small-scale hydro 11%, and geothermal generation even
decreased slightly in 2017 (REI 2018a).
METI certainly needs to correct this imbalance in the supply of
electricity generated by renewable sources. However, the fundamental
problem is the way electric power companies decide the volume of
different sources of electricity that they connect to the electricity grid,
or the allocation of “possible amounts of connection.” This problem
and other problems relating to the policy of electricity deregulation stem