The Japanese government on Tuesday unveiled a new strategic energy plan aimed at making renewable energy the country’s main source of electricity by 2040, as part of its goal of carbon neutrality by 2050.
This preliminary version of the new energy plan sets an ambitious objective of 40% to 50% renewable energies in the electricity mix by 2040, compared to 23% currently.
Thermal power plants, which today provide nearly 70% of Japan’s electricity, would see their share reduced to 30-40%, while nuclear power would retain a significant role, with an expected contribution of around 20%. in 2040.
The plan, published by Japan’s Natural Resources and Energy Agency, plans to put all existing nuclear reactors back into service and does not rule out the construction of new power plants, marking a reversal from the policy adopted after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, which aimed to reduce dependence on the atom “as much as possible”.
The Executive closed all the nuclear power plants in the archipelago after this triple disaster (earthquake, tsunami, nuclear accident), before gradually putting them back into service.
This strategic reorientation responds to several challenges, including growing electricity demand linked to the development of artificial intelligence, climate imperatives, and geopolitical tensions affecting energy supply.
The plan still needs to be reviewed by experts before being submitted for government approval.
With MAP
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