Japan

The Japanese government and Tepco said that they are now aiming to bring the Fukushima Daiichi plant to a cold shutdown within this year, instead of by January as initially planned.

The companies will mutually promote new combined-cycle power plants for projects in Japan, and other Asian countries as well.

“I plan to take measures to lift the Emergency Evacuation Preparation Zone this week if possible,” said Goshi Hosono, the minister in charge of responding to the nuclear crisis.

To make up for the decline in nuclear power generation, the country will boost power conservation and the use of renewable energy in its new electricity portfolio.

The sector’s CO2 emissions were cut to 317 million tons, largely meeting protocol targets.

Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) has set a target to ensure the safe shutdown of nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan by January 2012. Japan's economy, trade and industry minister Yukio Edano announced that it would be possible to safely shut down the three damaged nuclear reactors at the quake-hit plant. TEPCO plans to bring the tsunami-battered nuclear reactors to a temperature of around 100°C by January, under a nine-month road map stabilisation plan. The UN's atomic agency said the plant's nuclear reactors were stable and the shutdown could be achieved ahead of schedule.  

Tokyo Electric Power may decommission the Fukushima Dai-Ni nuclear power plan, Japan's industry minister Yukio Edano said.

The U.N. atomic agency still expects significant growth in the global use of nuclear power over the next two decades after  Japan's Fukushima accident.

Japan's nuclear reactors will be restarted once safety is confirmed and local communities give their approval, according to the country's new trade minister Yukio Edano.

Yoshio Hachiro stepped down as head of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry after calling the evacuation zone around the Fukushima nuclear plant “towns of death”.

Radioactive material released into the sea in the Fukushima nuclear power plant is three times more the amount estimated by plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co , Japanese researchers say.

Tokyo Electric Power Co used a record amount of LNG for power generation last month as the No.1 and No.7 units at its sole online nuclear plant in Kashiwazaki-Kariwa were shut for maintenance. It left only two reactors in operation.   TEPCO used 2.079 million tonnes of LNG in August, exceeding the previous monthly record marked in August 2007.

Japan will end mandatory energy curbs in greater Tokyo and northern areas damaged by the March earthquake and tsunami.

Masayoshi Son  said wind and geothermal power will likely be key components of his new power generation business, along with solar power.   The billionaire founder of Japanese telecom firm Softbank Corp , Son placed 1 billion yen of his own money to create the foundation in the wake of Japan's nuclear crisis, said Softbank will invest 10 to 20 billion yen or $129-$257 million in the new business that it aims to set up by the spring of 2012.

Mitsui and Toshiba are jteaming up to build Japan’s largest PV system.

Kansai Electric Power has started commercial operation of its 10MW PV plant in Sakai City, Osaka.