Japan Nuclear Revival Reaches Tokyo: Analyst Reaction

About this episode

The episode discusses Japan's nuclear power revival and its implications for energy security and power prices.

Japan’s journey back to nuclear power is entering a new phase. Fifteen years after the Fukushima disaster and the shuttering of the country’s nuclear fleet, the return of the Kashiwazaki Kariwa 6 reactor marks the first restart in the Tokyo power region and one of the most significant additions since 2011. The timing is critical. Japan remains heavily reliant on imported LNG, leaving its power prices exposed to global gas shocks and disruptions from the war in the Middle East. Nuclear restarts are increasingly being seen as a way to strengthen energy security, reduce fuel imports and ease pressure on power prices. So what role can nuclear realistically play in Japan’s power system, and how much further can the country’s restart program go? On today’s show, Kamala Schelling is joined by Mariko O’Neil, BNEF’s head of APAC power, to discuss her note “Nuclear Comeback to Ease Tokyo Power Price War Premium.” Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF<GO> on the Bloomberg Terminal or on bnef.com Links to research notes from this episode: Nuclear Comeback to…

People in this episode

Host: Kamala Schelling

Guest: Mariko O’Neil

Topics covered

• nuclear power
• energy security
• Japan
• power prices
• LNG imports
• Fukushima
• transition to lower-carbon economy

Keywords

• nuclear revival
• energy security
• Tokyo power
• Fukushima
• BNEF
• Kashiwazaki Kariwa
• LNG
• power prices
• lower-carbon economy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: BNEF

Places: Japan, Tokyo, Kashiwazaki Kariwa 6, Middle East

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