The Government of Japan has reportedly announced that it has set a target to boost the use of non-fossil fuel based energy, including nuclear and renewable energy to 60% of the nation’s total generation by the end of 2030.
According to reports, the announcement was made through a basic energy policy draft put forth by the nation’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
Local news channels reported that clean energy will account for 36%-38% of the nation’s electricity supply by 2030, effectively doubling its 2019 target, which sat at 18%. Meanwhile, the use of coal in energy generation would be brought down from 26% to 19%. Wind, solar, hydro, geothermal, and biomass would make up 6%, 15%, 10%, 1%, and 5% respectively by 2030, each jumping from 0.7%, 6.7%, 7.7%, 0.3%, and 2.6% back in 2019.
However, the nuclear energy target would remain unchanged at the 20%-22% mark. The nuclear power target would supposedly be difficult to attain owing to the strong anti-nuclear sentiment held by the nation’s population.
Since the Fukushima disaster, more than 24 of the country’s 54 operational nuclear reactors have been marked for retirement, with only nine being currently in operation.
The new energy policy would be finalized in the month of August and presented to the general population for comment. After being approved by the nation’s cabinet, Japan also plans to present the plan to the 26th United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP26) in October, in Glasgow, Scotland.
Recently, in July, the country’s cabinet approved the budget request guidelines for the year 2022, setting ¥4.4 trillion yen ($40 billion) aside for policies such as the carbon reduction plan, under the country’s green growth strategy.
Japan also aims to become a carbon-neutral country by 2050, which is the same time scale that has been set by the European Union. Back in April, the government consolidated its 2030 emissions reduction goal to bring emissions down by 46% by 2030 as compared to 2013.
Source credit: https://www.pinsentmasons.com/out-law/news/japan-sets-60-percent-target-for-renewable-energy-by-2030
