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Japan electrical power lobby urges government to get rid of promise to cut nuclear energy reliance

The head of Japan's primary electricity utilities lobby on Friday prompted the federal government to eliminate an expression about reducing dependence on nuclear power generation from the nation's basic energy plan when the resourcepoor nation revises it next year.

The industry ministry this week began talks to craft the next energy strategy - a long-lasting technique for a nation heavily reliant on nonrenewable fuel sources - aimed at balancing energy security with decarbonisation while targeting carbon neutrality by 2050.

The existing strategy, approved in October 2021, mentioned the goal to minimize reliance on nuclear power as much as possible. It did not point out building nuclear plants or changing existing ones.

We want the expression about reducing reliance on nuclear energy to be erased in the next energy plan, Chairman Kingo Hayashi of the Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan informed a press conference.

The federal government's position of nuclear energy must be more plainly specified, by defining the requirement to reboot existing reactors, as well as to build new or change existing reactors, said Hayashi, who is likewise president of Chubu Electric Power .

The group in a statement said it wants the government to specify the optimum use of nuclear energy as a decarbonised power source which also contributes to energy security.

Japan had actually prepared to phase out nuclear power after the March 2011 tsunami and Fukushima crisis, however increasing energy prices activated by the Ukraine war and duplicated power crunches prompted a policy shift in 2022 towards restarting idled capability much faster and establishing next-generation reactors.

The approaching energy plan revision will be the first considering that the policy shift.

(source: Reuters)