Japan back towards energy from coal

After suffering consequences of the Fukushima 2011 fault, the Japanese government decided to diametrically redirect the energy generation sector, mainly towards the coal-fired power plants. As one of the World's most powerful economies, Japan stands out from other countries by having ambitious plans for development of coal-fired capacities. In the coming years, the Japanese government is planning to build 36 modern units with a power below 112.5 MW each, in the USC (Ultra-Super-Critical parameters) and CCS-ready (Carbon Capture and Storage) technology. The power of the planned plants is motivated by the fact, that the units of a capacity below 112.5 MW do not need to apply for the government approval, which is a highly time-consuming process. The Japanese energy plan assumes the share of coal power plants in the energy mix on the level of 26% in 2030 (in the previous version of the plan this prediction was equal to 10%).

The Japanese also tighten the coal trading relations with the United States, which also give a clear signal to the global community about their favor, or even support for the energy from coal. Despite the accessibility and competitiveness of the alternative fossil fuels, Japan, as the island country, decided to rely on coal, having the energy safety as a priority. It also should be mentioned, that the Japanese are carrying out research on international scale in terms of application of coal as the indirect fuel in transport (coal gasification and hydrogen production technologies), being often in the phase of pilotage.