Thursday, May 17, 2018

Productive Energy or Destructive Energy


Japan has re-started 8 reactors since 2011. Now the LDP government hopes to re-start around 30 more reactors to hit a target goal of 20-22% of the energy share with nuclear power at its core:
Shinichi Sekine and Rintaro Sakurai 20-22% share of nuclear power at core of updated energy policy THE ASAHI SHIMBUN http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201805140045.html

The government is committed to nuclear power accounting for at least one-fifth of the nation’s electricity supply in fiscal 2030, calling it an "important base-load energy source," according to a draft proposal. For the first time, the government will specify the 20-22 percent ratio in its basic energy plan.  Experts say that 30 or so reactors must be brought back online to meet the 20-22 percent target. The goal is achievable, according to the ministry, if existing reactors are allowed to operate for 60 years, beyond the 40-year lifespan in place under stringent regulations implemented after the triple meltdown at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.


Japan is a very geologically active area. Reactors become brittle with time because of exposure to ionizing radiation.

Re-starting reactors is a hazardous practice and the longer they are inactive the more challenging to re-start.

Japan's proposed energy policy is fundamentally antithetical to its future prosperity.

A country such as Japan has many options given the incredible sophistication of its knowledge-innovation infrastructure. So, why pursue an extremely hazardous and highly expensive energy trajectory?

I believe the answer lies not only in the dual-use of nuclear power (the weapons potential as I discuss here) but also in this headline here: Uranium sentiment picks up after weak start in 2018

Fukushima Daiichi today reminds us of the destructive power of nuclear





1 comment:

  1. Reactors 1 and 4 look to be boiling over with a black out seen at the gate
    http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/f1-np/camera/index2-e.html

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