Japan to close last nuclear reactor (nuclear once supplied a third of Japan's electricity)

[pampango]

Another long, hot summer is looming for Japan just as it shuts down its last operating nuclear power reactor, worsening a squeeze on electricity and adding urgency to calls for a green energy revolution.

On Saturday, the last of the country's 50 usable nuclear reactors will be switched off, completely idling a power source that once supplied a third of Japan's electricity. At a time when temptation to set the air conditioner to deep freeze is at its greatest, companies and ordinary Japanese will be obliged to economize amid temperatures that can climb above 40 C.

To offset the shortfall, utilities have ramped up oil- and gas-based generation, giving resource-poor Japan, the world's third-largest economy, its biggest annual trade deficit ever last fiscal year. That $100 million-plus a day extra cost, worries over the risks of nuclear power and concern over carbon emissions are leading many officials to view renewable energy such as solar, hydro and wind more positively.

Oil, coal and gas now generate about nearly 90 per cent of Japan's electricity, with hydropower accounting for about 8 per cent and other renewables — solar, wind, geothermal and biomass — making up the balance.

The International Energy Agency estimates shutting all nuclear plants increases oil demand by 465,000 barrels a day to 4.5 million barrels a day, raising Japan's daily costs by about $100 million.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2012/05/03/japan-nuclear-reactor-close.html

[RobertEarl]

1. Japanese are scared

The genie - Fukushima - was let out of the bottle and it can't be put back.
Radiation is spreading.
Tokyo, were it in the US would be declared a nuclear waste site.

And there are rumors that many of the nuke plants in Japan HAD to be shut down due to damage.

Here is a link to web cam at Fukushima:
http://mfile.akamai.com/127380/live/reflector:51361.asx

[Lftrsuk]

2. Japan dare not be without energy independence.

Japan does have to find other alternatives to 'conventional' nuclear, but political expediency and Japan's essential need for the energy independence and energy security which can be derived from breeder reactors, is on the move, behind the scenes and in a low-key fashion: http://lftrsuk.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/this-is-japan-were-talking-about.html

For urbanised, industrialised nations in the developed world and for such aspiring nations of the developing world, deployment of breeder reactors, for 24/7, emission free, base load electricity, is inevitable. From an electorate perspective, PWRs and BWRs will be ditched because of their safety frailties and as sources for anti-nuclear rhetoric. Emissions-free, inherently safe breeder reactors will be offered as the safe and affordable alternative to maintain a nation's industrial competitiveness. Acceptance will be driven by the insatiable energy demands of the urban populations, in the face of depleting and ever more expensive energy from hydrocarbons. It will happen in the 2020s and accelerate into the 2030s and I'd place a bet that Japan's vulnerability in matters of energy security and independence, will make it a front runner of breeder reactor deployment.