Japan lacks the expertise for renewed nuclear power after Fukushima
- Reference: 1672859715
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2023/01/04/japan_nuclear_expertise/
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The Japan Electrical Manufacturers' Association claims the number of "skilled engineers responsible for manufacturing nuclear equipment" has declined by 45 percent since the government banned nuclear power projects and shut existing reactors in response to the [1]Fukushima meltdown in 2011.
In addition, the JEMA said there are 14 percent fewer students in nuclear engineering programs at Japan's universities and graduate schools, the Financial Times [2]reports .
[3]
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Japan got around a [4]third of its power from nuclear energy prior to the Fukushima [5]meltdown . Japan never cut nuclear from its power generation entirely, and prior to the moratorium lift was getting around 7.5 percent of its electricity from nuclear sources that weren't shuttered.
[6]
[7]
In July of last year, Japan restarted several nuclear plants to stave off energy uncertainty thanks to interrupted gas flows from Russia, which the country has relied on since decommissioning its nuclear facilities.
Several Japanese companies have jumped back into nuclear research since the moratorium has lifted as well. [8]Mitsubishi , for example, partnered with several power utilities to develop a [9]new form of light-water reactor that's more stable, safer and easier to control, and is also working on smaller nuclear reactors as well as gas-cooled reactors that produce hydrogen.
[10]Westinghouse sale signals arrival of a new nuclear age
[11]Wind, solar fulfill 10% of global electricity demand for first time
[12]Japan taps industry to build safer, more secure nuclear energy future
[13]Japan reverses course on post-Fukushima nuclear ban
Hitachi, which has partnered with GE to develop miniature nuclear power plants, known as small modular reactors, or SMRs, and already has [14]plans to deploy them in the US, Canada and Poland.
The International Atomic Energy Agency believes
[15]PDF
there's no path toward global 2050 zero emissions goals without the [16]expansion of nuclear power . The agency sees nuclear as an intermediary power source until the wider adoption of renewables like wind and solar, as fossil fuel use is reduced.[17]
Japanese officials previously planned to phase out nuclear power entirely by 2030, but now hopes nearly a quarter of the country's power will come from nuclear sources by the end of the 2020s.
According to NPR, that goal might be [18]out of reach because it would require construction of an additional 17 reactors by 2030 – a tough goal under the best of circumstances.
Japan's reversal of the nuclear power ban didn't do anything to address supply shortages, NPR said. Add manpower shortages to that equation, and Japan's nuclear ambitions seem increasingly out of reach. ®
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[1] https://www.theregister.com/2011/03/16/fukushima_workers_evacuated/
[2] https://www.ft.com/content/e179ece0-6e0b-4ce7-98b5-30ae01d41501
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Y7YFDvQR5moz66ykplbUOwAAAIQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2022/08/24/japan_reverses_course_on_postfukushima/
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2017/03/10/boarzilla_stalks_fukushimas_dead_zone/
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Y7YFDvQR5moz66ykplbUOwAAAIQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Y7YFDvQR5moz66ykplbUOwAAAIQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2022/09/29/mitsubishi_heavy_safer_nuclear_reactor/
[9] https://www.mhi.com/news/220929.html
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2022/10/12/westinghouse_sale_nuclear/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2022/09/29/wind_solar_power_electricity_record/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2022/09/29/mitsubishi_heavy_safer_nuclear_reactor/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2022/08/24/japan_reverses_course_on_postfukushima/
[14] https://nuclear.gepower.com/build-a-plant/products/nuclear-power-plants-overview/bwrx-300
[15] https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/0498c8b8-e17f-4346-9bde-dad2ad4458c4/NuclearPowerandSecureEnergyTransitions.pdf
[16] https://www.theregister.com/2022/08/15/nuclear_power_climate_change/
[17] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Y7YFDvQR5moz66ykplbUOwAAAIQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[18] https://www.npr.org/2022/12/22/1144990722/japan-nuclear-power-change-fukushima
[19] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
The US has a bunch of nuclear engineers in blue uniforms that you can pay to move to the private sector and will, grudgingly, let in foreigners.
Japan has no nuclear military (for some reason) and will insist on doing nothing until the caligraphy on the logo is perfect
Time to switch!
It's not like there would not be enough wave and tidal power or a lack of sun... And recently some very well working wave and tidal power solutions popped up, where the moving parts are not directly connected to water and rather use the air pushed by the waves. And there should be plenty of heat to extract from earth, when counting those many hot springs Japan is famous for. Wind should not be a problem as well.
Though some regions could use "snow energy", if such a thing would exist.
I'm surprised
well not I'm not.
But looking over here at the dearth of skilled engineers, you do begin to wonder who's going to be keeping the lights on in 10 years time...
But I suppose its like a lot of skilled technical jobs that require a lot of knowledge and a hons degree level education, those who are capable of doing it are put off by the cost, the lack of pay , and the lack of chances for advancement. so only those than can afford to take the chance sign up to the course.
So it falls the government actually do something about it (removing university fees for STEM courses and sponsoring people who cant afford to take 3-4 years out for uni for a start )
But I have no hope that any government will do that........ even though it would help stop the 'crisis in the NHS' stories currently running(hint: train more staff, and build capacity for more beds.. although thats too bleedin obvious for any of the current lot of politicians)
This reminds me of all the people in the US who went into nuclear engineering in the 1980s and 1990s, then got shut out when the industry collapsed. One of my uncles had that as his major, and ended up with a career as a bank teller instead.