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Map credit- Wikipedia
The future of nuclear energy in Japan may be decided on a community-by-community basis.
Reuters is reporting today that Japan – which up until now has steadfastly insisted that nuclear energy would remain a major component of their electrical generating infrastructure – would consider shutting down all 54 of their nuclear power plants if local communities objected to their operation due to safety concerns.
Moving to fossil fuels – which must be imported – could add another 3 trillion yen ($30 billion U.S.) per year to that country’s energy costs.
As all Japanese nuclear plants must be shutdown at least once every 13 months for maintenance and inspection, currently only 19 of the nation’s nuclear power plants remain online, with the last of those due for its scheduled maintenance shutdown in April of 2012.
Although NISA has the authority to authorize the restarting of a nuclear plant, plant operators always go to local governments for their approval before bringing a nuclear reactor back online.
While a complete cessation of nuclear power production in Japan may sound like an unlikely outcome right now, how each community will decide on this issue is unknown.
The ultimate success or failure of bringing the Fukushima reactor crisis to a safe resolution will no doubt heavily influence their decisions.
Proving that there is more than one kind of fallout to take into account following a nuclear accident.
This from Reuters.
Japan may have no nuclear reactors running by next April
By Risa Maeda
TOKYO | Wed Jun 8, 2011 8:58am EDT
(Reuters) - All 54 of Japan's nuclear reactors may be shut by next April, adding more than $30 billion a year to the country's energy costs, if communities object to plant operating plans due to safety concerns, trade ministry officials said on Wednesday.
Germany, meanwhile, announced on May 31st that they would keep 8 of their nuclear power plants closed, and the remaining 9 plants would be decommissioned no later than 2022.
