Economy minister Yukio Edano said he does not expect any nuclear power plant to be operating this summer, but thermal power and conservation efforts should be enough for the nation to get by.
Economy minister Yukio Edano said he does not expect any nuclear power plant to be operating this summer, but thermal power and conservation efforts should be enough for the nation to get by.
In an interview with The Asahi Shimbun on Jan. 26, Edano said his ministry would compile measures by this spring on how to deal with a situation of zero nuclear power plants.
Only four of the 54 nuclear reactors were operating as of Jan. 26. All four will stop operations by the end of April to undergo periodic inspections.
Although the central government is considering allowing reactors to restart after electric power companies conduct stress tests to confirm their safety, the accident last year at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant has made obtaining the approval of local governments very difficult.
"There is the possibility of no nuclear power plants operating (this summer)," Edano said, adding that it would be impossible to operate nuclear plants while placing less importance on safety.
He indicated the government would not issue an order like last summer requiring large-volume electricity users of Tokyo Electric Power Co., operator of the Fukushima plant, and Tohoku Electric Power Co. to cut usage by 15 percent. He also said the measures under consideration would not require companies to change their schedules. Last summer, automakers’ employees took Thursdays and Fridays off and worked on the weekends to conserve electricity.
"Last year, the automobile industry changed its days off and workers were asked to bear with the inconvenience," Edano said. "We cannot have the same thing happen this year. There is still room for the overall society to conserve electricity, including use of lighting and air conditioning in households."
Regarding the effects on the business sector in the absence of nuclear power plants, Edano said: "We will make the best effort to overcome the situation without affecting industry. There is that possibility if we make the effort."
He said he was optimistic that Japan can handle the situation because of measures taken by electric power companies since last summer to increase electricity generation using thermal power plants and other alternatives to nuclear energy.
Edano was also asked about the plan to inject about 1 trillion yen ($12.9 billion) into TEPCO through the Nuclear Damage Liability Facilitation Fund.
TEPCO is trying to negotiate an arrangement to stave off the virtual nationalization of the company.
But Edano indicated the central government would seek management control over TEPCO by acquiring a majority stake in the utility through the capital injection.
"It is inconceivable that the central government would have no say even after injecting capital in the form of taxpayer money collected from the public," Edano said.