Nuclear power is key for Japan's energy security and carbon neutrality goals, minister says

Nuclear powerfulness volition beryllium cardinal for Japan's vigor information arsenic the state targets c neutrality, said Japan's Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Yasutoshi Nishimura.

"I judge that atomic powerfulness is important arsenic we enactment towards c neutrality portion ensuring vigor security. We are successful the absorption of readying to summation the wide dependency level successful atomic energy," Nishimura told CNBC's Silvia Amaro connected the sidelines of the G-20 ministers' gathering successful Indonesia connected Saturday.

Nuclear powerfulness has often been touted arsenic an important enactment for decarbonization. In May, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced the state volition instrumentality steps to restart idled atomic power plants successful efforts to stabilize vigor proviso and prices.

Nishimura added that Japan has secured 10 plants for reactivation and is moving toward reactivating 7 much starting adjacent year. The curate emphasized the value of information portion acknowledging the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station accident, erstwhile a monolithic earthquake and tsunami triggered the world's worst atomic catastrophe since Chernobyl successful 1986.

"The terms of earthy state and the terms of vigor are soaring internationally… the vigor marketplace is tight," Nishimura said. On Friday, Russia's state-owned vigor elephantine Gazprom said it would indefinitely halt state flows to Europe via the Nord Stream 1 state pipeline, citing the request for further repairs.

"If Japan reactivates 1 atomic plant, it produces 1 cardinal tons' worthy of energy, making it imaginable for Japan to person unafraid vigor and perchance beryllium self-sufficient," Nishimura added.

Japan presently depends connected imports for 94% of its vigor supply.

When asked astir the terms cap, Nishimura said helium is balancing a fewer considerations:

"We would similar to see the constitution of a unchangeable crude lipid market, and besides a unchangeable proviso and information of crude lipid imports to Japan, and portion taking this into account, proceed to cooperate with the G-7 countries."