A Future Without Nuclear Energy?

Japan's Advisory Committee for Resources and Energy, a consulting body to the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, is taking a new look at the Long-Term Energy Supply and Demand Outlook as part of a study on Japanese energy policy. In the review process, the committee has worked out several quantitative scenarios in order to stabilize the nation's energy-oriented CO2 emissions in fiscal 2010 in relation to 1990 levels. One of these scenarios predicts that if nuclear power plants, which produce no CO2 in the power generation process, are not newly constructed in the years ahead, then efforts will be needed to reduce CO2 emissions substantially. If the expenses involved in achieving CO2 reductions are to be covered by taxpayers, the Japanese economy will eventually experience zero growth during the period from fiscal 2008 to fiscal 2010, and nearly 2.28 million job opportunities will be lost.

The Japanese electric power industry takes this projection as proof of the necessity of nuclear power in the effort to combat global warming. Therefore, we are determined to continue our consistent endeavors toward the utilization and development of nuclear energy.

Note: CO2 emissions were calculated by counting energy consumed in all activities including fuel mining, facilities construction, fuel transport, fuel refining, fuel consumption (i.e., power generation); maintenance activities; and spent fuel reprocessing and high-level radioactive waste disposal in the case of nuclear power. Source: Report by the Central Research Institute of the Electric Power Industry