Japan plan: Nine NPPs in nine (and a half) years

[FBaggins]

Japan is planning to build nine new nuclear power plants by 2020, and 14 by 2030, according to a draft strategy document by METI, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

Nuclear power's security of supply and low-carbon output have made it a strategic priority for the country, the report said.


The report said that the 2020 plants should have a load factor of 85%; Japan's reactors had a load factor of 84% in 1998, prior to the 2007 earthquake that shut down all seven units of Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, among others. The 2030 plants would have an even higher load factor of 90%.

Nuclear and hydro power would make up 70% of the country's total power, the document said.




http://www.neimagazine.com/story.asp?storyCode=2056118

[joshcryer]

1. At least Japan is serious about lowering CO2 emissions.

Unlike China.

[Statistical]

2. Japan didn't get the memo that nuclear is dead.

Seriously though hope Japan gets its capacity factor back up to respectable level.

Pre-2006 Japan averaged 85% capacity factor, in 2009 it was 72%. That 13% loss in capacity factor equates to roughly 53 TWh of energy or roughly 2% of worldwide nuclear generation. Getting capacity factor up to 90% (in line with other first tier nations) would provide another 20 TWh of clean, safe, reliable energy.

[kristopher]

3. What a bunch of bull. Don't you ever adhere to the facts?

You wrote, "Seriously though hope Japan gets its capacity factor back up to respectable level. Pre-2006 Japan averaged 85% capacity factor, in 2009 it was 72%. That 13% loss in capacity factor equates to roughly 53 TWh of energy or roughly 2% of worldwide nuclear generation. Getting capacity factor up to 90% (in line with other first tier nations) would provide another 20 TWh of clean, safe, reliable energy."

Japan has never had a capacity factor of 85%. You get so used to just making things up you apparently don't know the difference between your office gossip and reality.

http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/C-Improvement_in_Japanese_reactor_performance-1304104.html
Improvement in Japanese reactor performance
13 April 2010
The average capacity factor of Japan's nuclear power reactors over the past year has improved slightly with the return to service of two earthquake-affected reactors. Meanwhile, nuclear is expected to increase its share of Japanese electricity generation from 30% to around 40% over the next decade.

According to figures released by the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum (JAIF), the weighted average capacity factor of the country's fleet of 54 power reactors, with a combined capacity of 48,847 MWe, was 65.7% during the year to the end of March 2010. This compares with an average capacity factor of 60% in the previous year.

All seven units at Tokyo Electric Power's (Tepco's) at Kashiwazaki Kariwa were shut down in July 2007 following a violent earthquake, removing some 7965 MWe from available capacity. After extended shutdowns for inspections and repairs, units 6 and 7 resumed operation in August and May 2009, respectively. The remaining five units remain offline.

JAIF notes that, excluding Kashiwazaki Kariwa units 1 to 5, the average capacity factor for Japan's reactors in fiscal year 2009 would have been a more respectful 74.2%.

Some 277.5 billion kWh of electricity were generated by Japanese nuclear power plants in FY2009, up 7.5% on the 258 billion kWh generated in FY2008. It is the third consecutive year in which generation has been less than 300 billion kWh. Historically, nuclear power has provided about 30% of Japanese electricity and this is expected to rise to 40% by 2017.