The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has unveiled a new draft energy plan, which plans for Japan to reach between 40% and 50% of renewable energy in power generation by fiscal year 2040. Under this plan, renewables would become the country’s largest source of power, more than doubling their current contribution (22% in 2023).
In addition, the draft energy plan plans for a return of nuclear energy in power generation, as the Japanese government expects that around 30 reactors will be restarted by 2030. The plan estimates that nuclear energy will account for around 20% of the country's power output in FY 2040 (compared to 9% in 2023, up from 1% in 2015, but down from 25% in 2010 prior to the Fukushima accident).
Finally, thermal energy would drop to between 30% and 40% of power generation by FY 2040 (compared to 69% in 2023). The METI estimates that Japan's electricity consumption will be spurred by the demand of artificial intelligence and data centers.
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