Japan eyes renewable energy deregulation

Japanese cabinet ministers will pursue an easing of rules on building geothermal, wind and hydraulic power plants to boost renewable energy use after the Fukushima nuclear crisis, according to Reuters, citng a Nikkei report.

A panel of cabinet ministers in charge of energy and environmental issues will make a 93-point list of recommendations to the government on cutting costs and saving time to build more renewable energy plants.

For instance, it will recommend that rules over drilling of geothermal resources at national parks be relaxed and advise that special farming and forestry rules be set up to utilize unused farmland, the Nikkei reported.

The panel will also recommend that the issuance of water rights permits be relaxed and that laws governing rivers and utilities be revised in order to increase the number of hydraulic plants.

Once the recommendations are made, the government will aim to realize such deregulation steps during this fiscal year to March 31, 2012.

The panel is due to meet next week to discuss deregulation and other issues such as the power supply outlook for this winter.

The world's worst nuclear crisis in 25 years at the Fukushima Daiichi plant has heightened public safety concerns and kept 44 of Japan's 54 nuclear reactors off-line.

Following the atomic disaster, Japan vowed to review from scratch the country's energy policy, which previously had aimed to rely on nuclear power for more than 50 percent of the country's electricity supply by 2030.