The Japanese minister in charge of national strategy said a new generation of smaller nuclear reactors might be the answer for a country traumatized by the March Fukushima Daiichi crisis, at a time when much of the nation is looking toward a nuclear-free future.
The Japanese minister in charge of national strategy said a new
generation of smaller nuclear reactors might be the answer for a country
traumatized by the March Fukushima Daiichi crisis, at a time when much of the
nation is looking toward a nuclear-free future.
National Policy Minister Koichiro Gemba -- who is responsible for helping to
craft energy policy -- said that despite the bitterness following the accident
at the nuclear-power plant,
Japan
should consider the use of what are known as microreactors, as a way to help
bridge the electricity shortages that plague the industrial sector.
"The development of microreactors isn't incompatible with the goal of
achieving a more distributed power supply," Mr. Gemba said in a recent
interview with The Wall Street Journal.
His push for smaller reactors comes as
Japan
grapples with the realities of Prime Minister
Naoto
Kan
's
antinuclear push.
Mr.
Kan
scrapped the previous strategy that called for a near doubling in nuclear power
to more than 50% of
Japan
's
total electricity generation by 2030.
But while a shift away from nuclear power has gained popular support,
Japan
has
little in the way of domestic deposits of coal, natural gas or oil to meet its
power needs, and alternative-energy solutions appear inadequate.
Mr. Kan also is expected to resign in coming weeks, making his goal uncertain.
Japanese officials have continued to explore nuclear-power options despite
opposition to them. A consultative body to Banri Kaieda, the minister who
oversees
Japan
's
nuclear-power industry, last month said that abandoning technology under
development for smaller nuclear reactors and other alternatives would be a
waste.
Keiji Miyazaki, professor emeritus of
Osaka
University
, said
smaller reactors have cost disadvantages but are worth considering as part of
the future energy mix. Microreactors are expensive to operate because the
systems to power a reactor cost about the same no matter the size of the unit. This
means that unit costs will be much higher than for the reactors typically used
in
Japan
.
Microreactors are next-generation reactors that generate less heat and are
capable of cooling themselves without the use of an external power supply, a
key vulnerability in the
Fukushima
disaster, as the units overheated due to a lack of circulating water.
All three Japanese reactor makers -- Hitachi Ltd., Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Ltd., and Toshiba Corp. -- are pursuing them, Toshiba in particular. The
concept, however, is still in the development phase. Toshiba has said it is
looking to market such reactors later this decade.
Mr. Gemba said he believes
Japan
should look to "distributed power generation" where electricity is
generated by an interconnected network of small and midsize producers.
The concept is an antithesis to the current Japanese system, which is based on
constructing large nuclear plants in remote rural areas to produce electricity
for large cities.
The 47-year-old Mr. Gemba -- who was born in
Fukushima
prefecture and represents a district near the stricken plant -- said he has
based his recommendation on the spate of local complaints that have emerged
since the March disaster.
He said it is directed more at energy policies set by the central government
with little regard for local concerns, rather than at promoting nuclear power. He
continues to call for less reliance on nuclear energy.
Since March 11, at least five reactors have been kept from restarting even
after their regular maintenance checks were completed, as local communities
refused to allow their reopening.
"The newer the reactors are safer," Mr. Gemba said. "The safety
of nuclear plants would be improved by replacing older reactors with newer
ones," he added.
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