nuclear key for japan’s energy sector

http://uraniuminvestingnews.com/17660/nuclear-key-for-japans-energy-sector-plans-reactor-restarts.html?pmc=E-1&MyID=andrew@titanium22.com.au&utm_source=Resource+Investing+News&utm_campaign=4ed373b185-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f83d87db0f-4ed373b185-248800877


"The fabled “uranium renaissance” may finally come to pass as one of the main catalysts for the uranium market looks to be looming on the horizon.

On Tuesday, Japan unveiled the first draft of its energy policy since the Fukushima Dai-ichi disaster happened three years ago. The draft, which is expected to be approved in March, highlighted that while the country says it will be reducing its dependence on nuclear energy, nuclear power is still a key energy source for the country and it has plans to keep it.

Following the Fukushima disaster in March 2011, Japan called a halt to its 48 nuclear reactors, all of which must pass safety inspection before being restarted. According to the company’s draft policy, any reactors that meet the safety standards set after Fukushima, are candidates for a restart.
Last week, Reuters reported that the Nuclear Regulation Authority will be compiling a list of priority plants that meet the new criteria, and can be fast-tracked to a restart. The lack of nuclear energy has not been pleasant for the resource-poor Japan, that has been forced to import expensive fossil fuels that have sent the country’s economy into a record 18-month trade deficit. However, the new energy plan looks like it could turn the tides somewhat for the country.

The Associated Press reported that the Basic Energy Plan sees a combination of nuclear, renewables and fossil fuels as the most “reliable and stable source of electricity to meet Japan’s energy needs.”

The plan was initially expected to be released in January, however it was held back due to a recommendation by a panel of experts that found the plan to lean too much on nuclear power. The New York Times wrote that Toshimitsu Motegi, Japan’s minister for economy, trade and industry, was looking to down play the country’s policy reversal, by emphasizing that Japan is looking to reduce its nuclear dependence.

This latest draft of the energy policy is the government’s strongest effort so far to revive its nuclear energy program. Though no specific nuclear targets have be set in Japan’s policy, the plan indicates that the country will continue with its nuclear fuel recycling policy, while also emphasizing a need for flexibility should changes to the policy be required in the future."

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