Japan aims for renewables as top power source by 2040
A mega solar power plant in the northern prefecture of Aomori. Photo: Nikkei Asia
Japan Aims for Renewables as Top Power Source by 2040 in Carbon Neutrality Push
Japan has unveiled a government plan to make renewable energy its primary power source by 2040 as part of its ambitious goal to become carbon neutral by mid-century.
Thirteen years after the 2011 Fukushima disaster, Tokyo also reaffirmed that it sees a major rule for nuclear power in helping Japan meet growing energy demand from artificial intelligence and microchip factories.
The world's fourth-largest economy has the dirtiest energy mix in the G7, campaigners say, with fossil fuels accounting for nearly 70 percent of its power generation last year.
The government has already set a target of becoming carbon-neutral by 2050 and to cut emissions by 46 percent by 2030 from 2013 levels.
Under the new plans, renewables such as solar and wind were expected to account for 40 to 50 percent of electricity generation by 2040.
That marks a jump from last year's level of 23 percent and a previous target for 2030 of 38 percent.
Resource-poor Japan "will aim to maximise the use of renewable energy as our main source of power", according to the draft Strategic Energy Plan.
Government experts were reviewing the proposals released by the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy and it was due to be presented to the cabinet for approval.
Japan is aiming to avoid relying heavily on one energy source to ensure "both a stable supply of energy and decarbonisation", the draft said.
Geopolitical concerns affecting energy lines, from the Ukraine war to Middle East unrest, were also behind the shift to renewables and nuclear, it said.
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