July 4, 2020
Japanese Communist Party Policy Commission Chair Tamura Tomoko on July 3 at a press conference commented on the government’s latest announcement regarding coal-fired thermal power generation and said that the government should withdraw its support for the carbon-intensive electricity generation.
Earlier on the day, Economy and Industry Minister Kajiyama Hiroshi announced that the government will introduce a scheme aimed at reducing the number of low-efficiency coal-fired thermal power plants which emit a large amount of carbon dioxide by 2030 in line with the government’s basic energy policy compiled in 2018. Currently, 114 power generator units at coal-fired power plants nationwide are categorized as low-efficient.
However, Kajiyama expressed the government intent to maintain and promote the use of high-efficiency coal-fired thermal power stations. These high-efficiency ones still emit two times more CO2 than LNG-fired thermal power stations. The number of high-efficiency power generator units stands at 26. He also said that the government maintains the 2018 basic energy policy which designates coal-fired power generation as one of the important baseload energy sources and seeks to have power plants using this technology generate 26% of total electricity output in 2030. The Economy Minister added that promoting the use of nuclear power generation is one of options to cut carbon emissions.
In reaction to the Economy Minister’s announcement, Momoi Takako, head of the environmental NGO Kiko Network Tokyo office, criticized the government for sticking to using coal-fired thermal power generation as a baseload energy source. She said that in order to achieve the goal of the Paris climate agreement, Japan should cancel its plan to construct new coal-fired thermal power plants and close all existing ones without exception.
Past related articles:
> 127 global environmental NGOs urge Japanese banks to withdraw from coal-fired power plant project in Vietnam [May 28, 2020]
> JCP Koike: Japan in COP25 works against global effort to harness climate change [December 17, 2019]
Earlier on the day, Economy and Industry Minister Kajiyama Hiroshi announced that the government will introduce a scheme aimed at reducing the number of low-efficiency coal-fired thermal power plants which emit a large amount of carbon dioxide by 2030 in line with the government’s basic energy policy compiled in 2018. Currently, 114 power generator units at coal-fired power plants nationwide are categorized as low-efficient.
However, Kajiyama expressed the government intent to maintain and promote the use of high-efficiency coal-fired thermal power stations. These high-efficiency ones still emit two times more CO2 than LNG-fired thermal power stations. The number of high-efficiency power generator units stands at 26. He also said that the government maintains the 2018 basic energy policy which designates coal-fired power generation as one of the important baseload energy sources and seeks to have power plants using this technology generate 26% of total electricity output in 2030. The Economy Minister added that promoting the use of nuclear power generation is one of options to cut carbon emissions.
In reaction to the Economy Minister’s announcement, Momoi Takako, head of the environmental NGO Kiko Network Tokyo office, criticized the government for sticking to using coal-fired thermal power generation as a baseload energy source. She said that in order to achieve the goal of the Paris climate agreement, Japan should cancel its plan to construct new coal-fired thermal power plants and close all existing ones without exception.
Past related articles:
> 127 global environmental NGOs urge Japanese banks to withdraw from coal-fired power plant project in Vietnam [May 28, 2020]
> JCP Koike: Japan in COP25 works against global effort to harness climate change [December 17, 2019]
