Japan Reverse Nuclear Phaseout Plan

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Japan reverses nuclear phaseout plan adopted after Fukushima.

Key Takeaway

• According to the new policy, Japan must maximise the use of its current nuclear reactors by restarting as many of them as it can.
• Extending their operational lives beyond the legal limit of 60 years and creating next-generation reactors to take their place.
• Anti-nuclear sentiment and safety concerns rose sharply in Japan after the 2011 Fukushima disaster, and restart approvals have since come slowly under stricter safety standards.
• Utility companies have applied for restarts at 27 reactors in the past decade. Seventeen have passed safety checks, and only 10 have resumed operations. 
• That was in line with Japan’s earlier plan to phase out nuclear energy by 2030.
• In a reversal, the new policy says nuclear power provides stable output and serves “an important role as a carbon-free baseload energy source in achieving supply stability and carbon neutrality” and pledges to “sustain the use of nuclear power into the future“.

Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant

• Background
  • The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Facility is a defunct nuclear power plant situated on a 3.5 square kilometre in the Japanese towns of Okuma and Futaba.
  • The 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan on March 11, 2011, severely damaged the plant.
  • The nuclear reactors at the plant were automatically turned down once the systems identified the earthquake. 
    • Diesel emergency generators are running to keep coolant circulating in the cores, which are still extremely hot even after reactions stop.
  • However, a 14-metre (46-foot) tsunami struck Fukushima shortly afterwards. 
    • Water overflowed the protective sea wall, flooding the facility and shutting down the backup generators.
  • Workers hurried to restore electricity, but three reactors’ nuclear fuel overheated and partially melted the cores in the days that followed, causing a nuclear meltdown.
  • Several chemical explosions at the plant also seriously damaged the buildings. 
    • The Pacific Ocean and atmosphere started to experience radioactive leaks, which led to evacuations and an expanding exclusion zone.

India’s Nuclear Energy Future

• Status of Nuclear Energy
  • India’s fifth-largest source of electricity is nuclear energy.
  • India has more than 22 nuclear reactors spread over 7 power stations, producing 6780 MW of nuclear energy.
  • These are the 7 power plants:
    • Tarapur Atomic Power Station (TAPS), Maharashtra.
    • Kudankulam Nuclear Power Station (KKNPS), Tamil Nadu
    • Kakrapar Atomic Power Station (KAPS), Gujarat.
    • (Kalpakkam) Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS), Tamil Nadu.
    • Narora Atomic Power Station (NAPS), Uttar Pradesh.
    • Kaiga Generating Station (KGS), Karnataka.
    • Rajasthan Atomic Power Station (RAPS), Rajasthan.
  • Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL), a public sector organisation, is in charge of planning, constructing, installing, and running the nation’s nuclear power reactors.
  • The Department of Atomic Energy of the Indian government oversees NPCIL (DAE).

Significance for India

• Availability of Thorium
  • The new nuclear fuel resource known as thorium, which is regarded as the nuclear fuel of the future, is being developed at a rapid pace in India.
  • With the availability of Thorium, India has the potential to be the first nation to realise the dream of a fossil fuel-free nation.
• Cheaper to Run
  • Nuclear power stations are less expensive than coal or gas competitors.
  • Nuclear power plants cost between 33 and 50% more than coal plants and 20 to 25% more than gas combined-cycle plants, even after accounting for expenses like handling radioactive fuel and disposal.
• Stable and Reliable Source
  • Indisputable green power sources include solar and wind.
  • Despite all of their benefits, solar and wind power are unstable and overly reliant on the weather and availability of sunlight.

Way Forward

• The world energy crisis should prompt a logical reconsideration of an energy source as evident as nuclear, which has been unnecessarily stigmatised.
• Nuclear power is one of the more effective methods to address the growing need for energy.
• The potential of nuclear power must be fully realised given the lower capacity utilisation of renewables, rising fossil fuel prices, and ever-escalating pollution issues.

Pic Courtesy: Indian Express

Content Source: Indian Express

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