Japan’s cabinet has approved a new energy policy, which envisages nuclear power plants again playing a significant part in the country’s generation mix. But after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear reactor disaster, about two-thirds of Japan’s 48 reactors remain idle. Utility companies may well leave them closed because the cost of the safety upgrades demanded by government are, say the plant operators, prohibitive. The new plan describes nuclear generation as an “important baseload power source,” though it also envisages renewable sources providing 13.5% of power by 2020.
