Japan’s Parliament on Wednesday approved a law extending the lifespan of nuclear reactors beyond 60 years, with the aim of improving the country’s power supply and helping it meet its climate goals.
First modification:
By RFI’s Tokyo correspondent
The war in Ukraine and the increase in fuel prices were some of the reasons cited for the approval today in the Japanese parliament of a law that will extend the useful life of Japan’s nuclear reactors to more than 60 years.
The justification, according to the so-called Law of energy sources for the Green Transformation and Decarbonization, is to reduce carbon emissions and guarantee an adequate supply of energy.
The measure reverses a strict regulation introduced after the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011, which limited the useful life of reactors to 40 years and up to 60 years if safety inspections were carried out.
Because of its scarcity of natural resources, Japan imports its fossil fuels and has seen sharp rises in its energy prices since the start of the war in Ukraine.
Until the Fukushima accident, Japan generated 30 percent of its electricity consumption in nuclear power plants.
The dismantling of the damaged Fukushima reactors will take several decades and in the coming months it is expected that the water used for their cooling will be thrown into the sea, which has caused alarm in neighboring Pacific countries despite the fact that the managing company assures which is harmless.
The entire Japanese nuclear park was put out of service after the catastrophe at the Fukushima plant, which was caused by a gigantic tsunami.
Of the 33 theoretically operational reactors in the country, only 10 have returned to service since then, after adjusting to stricter safety regulations.
(With information from AFP)
