On April 11, the Japanese cabinet approved the new Basic Energy Plan. The Plan, originally proposed by Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and New Komeito Party Diet members who are considered to be pro-nuclear power, is formulated by the government on the basis of the 2002 Basic Energy Act. The original motivation of the establishment of the act was that the Diet members who considered that nuclear power plant construction would become more difficult due to advances in the deregulation of the power industry could put the brakes on deregulation by deemphasizing it with respect to the need for a stable supply of energy and environmental suitability.<\/p>\n
Specifically, the Advisory Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, a consultative body of the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry held meetings to formulate the Plan and the proposal put forward by the Advisory Committee became the government\u2019s plan. The Plan was first formulated in 2003, and revised in 2007 and 2010.<\/p>\n
As the Fukushima nuclear accident had occurred in March 2011, however, it became necessary to revise the Plan since implementation of the existing pro-nuclear power Plan had become problematical. In October of that year, the Advisory Committee on Energy and Natural Resources set up a Fundamental Issues Subcommittee, which began deliberations. After deliberations in the Committee, a call for public comments, public hearings and a deliberative poll, in September 2012 the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), the governing party at the time, released its \u201cInnovative Strategy for Energy and the Environment,\u201d which called for \u201cputting all available policy resources into achieving zero nuclear power in the 2030s\u201d (Nuke Info Tokyo 151, The Innovative Strategy for Energy and Environment and its future).<\/p>\n
Dissatisfied with this policy, the chairperson of the Fundamental Issues Subcommittee, Akio Mimura, invalidated the functioning of the Committee by abolishing it until the change of government to the LDP\/New Komeito alliance, and altering the location of the formulation of the Basic Plan by establishing a new Strategic Policy Committee with fewer members committed to a nuclear phaseout. The \u201cOpinion on the Basic Energy Plan\u201d finalized by the new subcommittee in December 2012 reversed policy back to support for nuclear power.<\/p>\n
Thus it was stated that \u201cthe use of nuclear power is to continue as the important base load power forming the basis of support for a stable energy supply and demand structure.\u201d The plan also called for \u201cthe promotion of restarts of nuclear power plants whose safety has been confirmed by the Nuclear Regulation Authority.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was perhaps considered that this overly explicit mode of expression was unwise from a public relations point of view. The approved Basic Energy Plan, with some consideration for the pro-nuclear power group within the governing parties, toned down the pro-nuclear rhetoric by deleting the phrase \u201cthe use of nuclear power is to continue,\u201d and employed standard power industry terminology by stating that nuclear power was to be \u201cthe important base load power contributing to the stability of the energy supply and demand structure,\u201d Nuclear power plant restarts were also to \u201crespect the judgment\u201d of the Nuclear Regulation Authority. Furthermore, the introduction to the Plan emphasizes \u201ca reduction in dependence on nuclear power as far as is possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, the Plan does in fact \u201cpromote\u201d nuclear power. \u201cA reduction in dependence\u201d does not mean a complete nuclear phaseout, and there is no indication about how far the reduction might go. Far from it, the construction of new nuclear power plants is mooted under the pretext of \u201creplacing (old) nuclear power plants with safer ones.\u201d It is reported in the media that these are all clearly stated in the original proposal for the \u201cOpinion on the Basic Energy Plan\u201d drawn up by the Advisory Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, later toned down to read \u201cwill clarify the scale (of nuclear power generation) to be secured.\u201d Even so, this would still allow the construction of new nuclear power plants. At the same time, aged plants that would cost too much to refurbish to meet the new safety standards would have to be decommissioned, necessitating the construction of new plants to secure the required scale of power generation.<\/p>\n
Looking at the nuclear fuel cycle, the 2010 Basic Energy Plan stated that \u201cThe nuclear fuel cycle for effective use of plutonium, uranium and so on recovered by reprocessing spent fuel is necessary to further raise the competitive edge of nuclear power generation, and in the future will be firmly promoted as a robust state strategy that \u2018will not be altered for the mid-term future.\u2019\u201d In the new Plan, this has changed to \u201cIn order to resolve the issues involved in the disposal of spent fuel and to alleviate the risks and burdens for future generations, the role of the fuel cycle will be to reduce the volume of high-level radioactive waste, reduce its degree of toxicity and contribute to the effective use of resources. Reprocessing, pluthermal generation and other efforts will be promoted with sufficient consideration for previous activities, efforts being made while continuing to gain the understanding of the related local governments and the international community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Spent fuel has transformed from a source for \u201craising the competitive edge\u201d of nuclear power to an \u201cissue\u201d that has to be resolved. The term \u201cfast breeder reactor\u201d has disappeared and is no longer a development goal. R&D on a \u201cfast reactor\u201d through international cooperation is mentioned, but there is no plan for a new reactor to be constructed inside Japan. Monju has been \u201cpositioned as an international research base for the reduction of the volume of nuclear wastes, the reduction of toxicity, and the advancement of technologies and so on related to nuclear non-proliferation.\u201d<\/p>\n
As a document, the completed Basic Energy Plan is not realistic. As with former Plans, it will immediately be consigned to the dustbin of wishful thinking.<\/p>\n
(Baku Nishio, Co-director of CNIC)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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