Director of PPI’s Energy Innovation Project, Derrick Freeman, penned an op-ed on today’s RealClearPolicy regarding the restarting of Japan’s nuclear reactors following the shutdown after an earthquake and tsunami led to meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in March 2011 — with lessons for policymakers here in the U.S.
Nonetheless, there are compelling reasons for Japan to flick the “on” switch for nuclear energy. Since the mothballing of its reactors, the Japanese economy has been in decline, and the country’s utility sector has experienced tremendous losses each year. Nuclear power, once 30 percent of Japan’s electricity generation, has had to be replaced with other fuels, primarily fossil. Resource-poor Japan has been obliged to depend more on imported natural gas, coal, and oil to meet its electricity needs. This reliance comes at a very heavy price for both Japan and its citizens.
Read the op-ed in its entirety at RealClearPolicy.