Japan’s moratorium on nuclear power has been costly

MIT Technology Review : Following the earthquake and tsunami that caused extensive damage at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in 2011, Japan shut down all its nuclear reactors pending a safety review, and they have remained closed due to public pressure. In 2010, Japan’s 54 reactors had provided 31% of its electricity. Since their closing, Japan has turned to fossil fuels, but the country has almost no domestic sources. From 2010 to 2012, imports of oil increased by 4% and of natural gas by 24%, making Japan the world’s second largest importer of fossil fuels. The cost of importing has led to an increase in the cost of power generation, which went up by $31 billion from 2010 to 2012, a 41% increase. And carbon emissions have jumped significantly as well, with a 6% increase from 2011 to 2012. Japan’s government is now planning to restart some of the reactors, but new safety regulations could mean a cost of $1 billion to restart each reactor.