Overview
- Japan will raise coal plant operating rates and suspend restrictions on older, less efficient units for one year starting in April.
- Officials say the shift guards against possible oil and LNG shortfalls because Japan buys most coal from Australia and Indonesia, and it is meant to cover spring and summer demand.
- Thermal power supplies about two-thirds of Japan’s electricity, with gas at roughly 31% and coal at 28.6% in fiscal 2024.
- The government says the step is temporary and that it still targets net-zero emissions by 2050, citing coal’s higher CO2 output compared with gas.
- Separately, Taiwan Power submitted a plan to restart nuclear reactors, signaling a turn toward restoring steady baseload supply.