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AsiaElec: Japanese nuclear power programme gets the green light

Japanese nuclear regulators have given the go-ahead for new nuclear reactors to be constructed while at the same time extending the operational lifetime of current reactors from 40 to 60 years and beyond.

It is the culmination of a plan that first surfaced in late November, 2022, as part of Tokyo’s bid to guarantee domestic energy security in the decades to come.

Initial plans to keep reactors online for as long as possible included discounting periods of inaction at individual reactors, which in some cases amount to several years as part of routine safety checks and periods of shutdown in response to extended anti-nuclear furore nationwide in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi disaster.

With the passage of time and increased strains on Japan’s power grids in recent years, however, the nation’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has veered back in favour of using nuclear power to help counter rising fuel prices and the slow pace of renewables installations.

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