Germany Trumps Japan In Nuclear Debate

In the wake of Japan's recent problems with nuclear power, Germany said on May 30, 2011 that the country's nuclear power plants will be phased out by 2022.

Environment Minister Norbert Rottgen made the announcement following late-night talks.
Chancellor Angela Merkel set up a panel to review nuclear power following the crisis at Fukushima in Japan.

There had been mass anti-nuclear protests across Germany in the wake of the Fukushima-ken Dai-ichi (Big One) nuclear facility crisis, triggered first by a 9.0 Magnitude earthquake and 30-meter high tsunami.

Environment Minister Norbert Rottgen noted that the seven oldest reactors that were taken offline for a safety review immediately after Japans' nuclear crisis, would not be utilized again. An eighth plant in northern Germany that was also offline due to technical problems would also be shut down, with six other plants to be mothballed by 2021, with the three newest ones going kaput in 2022.

Exclaims Rottgen, "It's definite. The latest end for the last three nuclear power plants is 2022. There will be no clause for revision."

However, a tax on spent nuclear fuel rods that is expected to raise 2.3 billion Euros ($3.22 billion Canadian/American) a year, will remain in place despite the decision to shutdown the German nuclear program.

With about 25 per cent of Germany's electricity derived from nuclear power--what will the country do to make up for it?

For some reason, Germany believes that electricity usage can be cut by 10 per cent over the next decade by the utilization of more efficient machinery and buildings. As well, the country wants to increase its use of wind power, though that will be an additional cost as Germany's wind farms are off the North Sea, while the nuclear facilities are in the south.

But... just in case Germans want o feel good about it not having to worry about a nuclear disaster of its own... just know that the country is surrounded by France who are huge proponents of nuclear power and by Poland, who are building its first two nuclear plants.

So... what does this have to do with Japan?

First some numbers:
1 TW/Terawatt = 1 trillion watts
1 GW/Gigawatt = 1 billion watts
1 MW/Megawatt = 1 million watts
1 Kw/kilowatt = 1 thousand watts
 Japan currently has 54 operatingnuclear reactors with a total installed generating capacity of around49 GW, making it the third-largest nuclear power generator in the worldbehind the U.S. and France.

Japanhad installed hydroelectric generating capacity of 22 GW (Gigawatt) in 2008,accounting for about eight  percent of total capacity. There arealso a number of large hydropower projects under development, includingthe 2,350-MW (Mega Watt) Kannagawa plant due online in 2017 and the 1,200-MWOmarugawa plant due online in 2011. 

 

In 2009, Japanproduced 1.025 TW of electricity, produced via: 30% from coal, 25% from gas, 24% from nuclear, 11% from oil, and 7.5%from hydro, though 8 GW of nuclear capacity was shut down for checksfollowing an earthquake in mid-2007.

TheJapanese government stated plans to increase the nuclear share of totalelectricity generation from 24 percent in 2008 and 2009 to 40 percent by 2017and to 50 percent by 2030, according to its Ministry of Economy, Tradeand Industry... but that was before the current crisis which has caused Japan to rethink its nuclear power generation plans.

 

Wind and solar power are being actively pursued in the country andinstalled capacity from these sources has increased in recent years toabout 3.9 GW in 2008, up from 0.8 GW in 2004. However, they continue toaccount for a relatively small share of generation at this time.
In 2008, Japan had about 179 GW of conventional thermal electric generating capacity. According to Japan Electric Power Information Center,there are currently 60 thermal power plants, and five more are underconstruction: two using LNG (liquifued natural gas) and three using coal. Japan has an aging oil-fired power plant family that is  used primarily as extracapacity to meet peak demand, and less than 10 percent of electricityproduced currently is oil-generated. The number of natural gas-firedpower stations is increasing in Japanand roughly 26 percent of electricity is natural gas-fired. Coalremains an important fuel source and accounts for roughly 28 percent ofelectricity generation.
So... Obviously, if a country like Germany can do it, then perhaps it is sushi for thought for Japan. I'm not saying nuclear energy is good or bad--I'm not preaching here!--but Japan does exist in a part of the world prone to earthquakes (and thus tsunami).

Maybe an alternative source of electricity production should be considered by Japan. Personally, I wonder if geo-thermal electrical power generation might not be a more interesting way to go for Japan.

Files compiled by Andrew Joseph