Japan to Scrap First Nuclear Reactors Since Fukushima

[bananas]

Source: Wall Street Journal

Many more expected to be shut down permanently

Two Japanese power companies said Tuesday that they will scrap three older nuclear reactors, the first moves in Japan to permanently shut down reactors after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.

Their decisions come as the Japanese government is working to formulate a new energy plan that, while expected to retain nuclear as a significant source of energy, is also likely to lead to many more of the nation’s 45 other reactors being decommissioned in what will be a long, expensive and challenging process.

Kansai Electric Power Co. said it will shut down reactors Nos. 1-2 at its Mihama nuclear-power plant, while Atomic Power Co. said it could scrap the No. 1 reactor at its Tsuruga plant.

The companies said it would cost too much to revamp the reactors to meet stricter regulations put in place after the Fukushima accident. All three reactors began commercial operations more than 40 years ago. Both plants are located in Fukui prefecture, western Japan.

<snip>

Read more: http://www.wsj.com/articles/fukushima-aftermath-japan-to-scrap-first-nuclear-reactors-since-disaster-1426579686

[bananas]

1. They should scrap them all - they know they're not needed. nt

[Mnemosyne]

2. Extremely expensive way to boil water, besides being inefficient. nt

[NickB79]

6. Not needed, what with all that cheap coal and gas just waiting to be burned

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-11-20/japan-trade-gap-widens-more-than-forecast-as-fuel-imports-surge

Japan posted its biggest October trade deficit on record, as a revival in exports to the U.S. and China was overwhelmed by the nation’s soaring costs for imported fuel in the wake of the nuclear industry’s shutdown.

[8 track mind]

3. good n/t

[DeSwiss]

4. K&R

[NickB79]

5. "the Japanese government is working to formulate a new energy plan"

http://www.wsj.com/articles/japan-continues-to-re-embrace-coal-1426162227

TOKYO—Japan is continuing to re-embrace coal to make up for its lack of nuclear energy, with plans for another power station released Thursday bringing the number of new coal-fired plants announced this year to seven.

Utilities in Japan are eager to take advantage of coal’s relative cheapness to give them a competitive edge at a time when other countries are seeking to reduce their greenhouse-gas emissions by moving away from a fuel source seen as dirty.

The liberalization of Japan’s power industry by 2020 will pit power companies against each other as rivals for the first time. In addition, with a relaxation of restrictions on coal power and no new emissions targets on the horizon, utilities are increasingly seeing coal as an important part of their business plans.

Kansai Electric Power Co. and Marubeni Corp. informed Akita prefecture on Thursday of their plans to build a new, 1.3-gigawatt coal-fired power station in the northern prefecture of Japan, the two companies said.

Yep.