Tag - energy

 
 

ENERGY

JAPAN
Apr 21, 2015
Outage hits pumps at Fukushima plant; toxic water leaks into ocean
Tokyo Electric reports that a power outage has shut all eight transfer pumps at the Fukushima No. 1 plant, sending radioactive water again into the Pacific Ocean.
WORLD
Apr 20, 2015
China's president to launch major economic corridor through Pakistan
Chinese President Xi Jinping was due in Pakistan on Monday where he was to launch $46 billion in projects linking the old allies, a figure that far exceeds U.S. spending in Pakistan and underscores China's projection of power in Asia.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FUKUSHIMA FILE
Apr 19, 2015
Expected surge in workers hitting radiation limit leaves No. 1 plant's decommissioning in jeopardy
The decommissioning crew at the defunct Fukushima No. 1 power plant is losing 174 members who have reached the legal limit for radiation exposure.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 16, 2015
Making the vision of sustainable energy a reality
Thanks to lower oil prices, innovation, and economies of scale in the renewable-energy sector, the vision of sustainable energy can now be turned into reality.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 15, 2015
Forget Fukushima: China powering ahead with plans for new reactors
In February, four years after pressing pause on one of the world's most ambitious nuclear energy programs, China quietly green-lighted the construction of two new nuclear reactors.
JAPAN
Apr 15, 2015
Tepco resumes survey of crippled Fukushima reactor vessel with new robot
The operator of the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant resumed a video survey inside a reactor containment vessel on Wednesday, inserting a second robot after an earlier effort left a similar robot stranded inside.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 14, 2015
Fukui court forbids Takahama nuclear plant restart
A Fukui court issues an injunction to prevent two NRA-cleared reactors at the Takahama nuclear plant from being restarted, citing doubtful quake-simulation data.
JAPAN
Apr 14, 2015
Nuclear power to be less than 20% of Japan's energy mix in 2030: sources
The Japanese government is planning to set the target for the ratio of nuclear power generation to the country's total electricity production in 2030 a little below 20 percent, compared with 28.6 percent in fiscal 2010, when the Fukushima nuclear crisis occurred, sources said Monday.
BUSINESS
Apr 13, 2015
2014 nuclear power output at zero
Nuclear power output stood at zero throughout fiscal 2014 for the first time since the country began commercial operation of its first nuclear plant in fiscal 1966, the Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan said Monday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 13, 2015
IAEA chief stresses nuclear power
International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Yukiya Amano on Monday underscored the importance of nuclear power generation, saying it contributes to stable electricity supply and economic growth.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 12, 2015
In southern China, hundreds protest over polluting power plant
Hundreds of people in China's southern Guangdong province protested the expansion of a coal-fired power plant on Sunday, state media reported, the latest sign of public discontent over pollution.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 12, 2015
Reactor closures to test Abe's green energy pledges
Japan's plan to mothball at least five aging nuclear reactors highlights the challenge Prime Minister Shinzo Abe faces as his administration debates how to replace lost electricity generation with power sources that are cheap, clean and safe.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 11, 2015
Iran deal could stumble on sensitive nuclear monitoring
Beefing up international monitoring of Iran's nuclear work could become the biggest stumbling block to a final accord between Tehran and major powers, despite a preliminary deal reached a week ago.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 9, 2015
The solar price revolution
We should not underestimate the tremendous potential the sun and wind have for building global wealth and fighting poverty.
JAPAN
Apr 8, 2015
1984 Foreign Ministry report warned of Fukushima-type nuclear scenario
The Foreign Ministry secretly conducted a simulation in 1984 to assess damage from a hypothetical attack on a nuclear power plant in a war and concluded that up to 18,000 people would be killed with acute symptoms from radiation exposure, it emerged Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 7, 2015
LDP proposes future energy policy heavy on nuclear power
Ruling party lawmakers proposed to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday that Japan generate around 60 percent of its electricity from stable sources, a figure that meets international standards but also suggests continued reliance on nuclear power.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Apr 6, 2015
Decommissioning aging reactors inevitable, costly
Last month, four utilities announced they would decommission five commercial nuclear reactors that were at least 40 years old, rather than apply for a restart that could extend their operating life another two decades.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 5, 2015
Half of owners of Fukushima land for site to store radioactive soil are unknown
In a new nuclear setback, Tokyo is unable to contact half of the roughly 2,400 landowners in Fukushima needed to build a storage facility for radiation-tainted debris.
JAPAN
Apr 2, 2015
Life-span extension reviews begins for three aging Kepco reactors
The nuclear regulator on Thursday began screening three Kansai Electric Power Co. reactors which the utility wants to bring back online and keep in service beyond their mandated 40-year life span. All three are now nearing that limit.
BUSINESS
Apr 1, 2015
Japan takes first step in power sector reform
Japan has taken the first step in its power industry shake-up with by establishing a nationwide grid management body on Wednesday, following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that exposed the vulnerability of the nation's power system and pushed up electricity prices.

Longform

Traditional folk rituals like Mizudome-no-mai (dance to stop the rain) provide a sense of agency to a population that feels largely powerless in the face of the climate crisis.
As climate extremes intensify, Japan embraces ancient weather rituals