Japanese Prime Minister Says Japan Must Activate More Nuclear Reactors to Prepare for Winter Energy Crunch

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on the first day of the G–7 summit in Germany on June 26, 2022. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has urged the Japanese trade industry minister to have nine nuclear reactors operational by the upcoming winter season as he warned of a potential power crunch.

“There are concerns that [power] supply and demand will be tight again this winter. We must prevent such a situation at all costs,” Kishida said at a press conference on July 14.

The new nuclear reactors will cover about 10 percent of Japan’s total energy consumption and accommodate peak hours, he said.

Kishida also directed the ministry to secure 10 additional thermal power generation units to help stabilize Japan’s power supply.

“If these are realized, we will be able to secure the maximum supply capacity compared to the past three years,” he added.

Japan had only allowed 10 of the 33 operable nuclear reactors to restart after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. But rising energy prices and the threat of a power shortage during a heat wave have pushed the government to reactivate some nuclear reactors.

On June 27, the ministry issued a warning about the tight power supply as Japan endured an extreme heat wave. It said that Japan’s power supply would still be insufficient despite electric suppliers increasing capacity.

“If there is an increase in demand or a sudden power supply trouble, the reserve margin will fall below the minimum required of 3 percent, and there is a possibility that a power supply and tight demand will occur,” the ministry said.

Japan also issued an energy warning in March 2022 due to cold weather and power plant outages caused by an earthquake near Fukushima Prefecture.

Power Shortages in the United States

The North American Electric Reliability Corp (NERC) warned in May 2021 that energy shortfalls were possible that summer in California, Texas, New England, and the central United States due to an extreme heat wave in those regions.

“Of greatest concern [during extreme heat] is California, where up to 11 gigawatts of additional transfers are expected to be needed in late afternoon to offset reduced solar output,” versus just one gigawatt on a normal day, NERC said.

One gigawatt can power about one million U.S. homes on average, but on a hot summer day, that number can plunge to just 200,000 homes when consumers crank up their air conditioners.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) on July 13 initiated a rarely used emergency program that can be activated when supplies fall below a critical safety margin.

The council urged residents to reduce power usage and warned of a risk for rolling blackouts. The notice came after ERCOT began paying suppliers an average of $5,000 per megawatt hour to keep generators running, the highest price the grid operator has paid so far.

With temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius), higher than the average for this time of the year, Texas projected peak demand to hit 78,762 megawatts.

Reuters contributed to this report.