Electricity Crisis Looms, Japan to Build 14 New Nuclear Reactors

The Japanese government plans to replace 14 ageing nuclear reactors by the 2050s, a bold step to secure national energy supply amidst Tokyo’s increasing embrace of atomic energy more than 15 years after the Fukushima nuclear disaster. The plan, reported by the Ministry of Industry and cited by AFP, comes as the government seeks to add power generation capacity to meet surging demand, particularly for new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), data centres, and semiconductor factories. Under the draft plan, the ministry hopes to replace up to five nuclear reactors in the 2040s, with a total of around 14 reactors by the 2050s. Kyodo News called this momentum the first time the Japanese government has outlined specific targets regarding nuclear reactor replacement in detail to the public. The strategic plan was presented at a ministry panel meeting today, with relevant ministers scheduled to review the draft later this summer. Japan previously estimated it would face a power shortfall of 5.5 million kilowatts by the 2040s, equivalent to the energy generated by five modern nuclear reactors. Following the colossal earthquake and tsunami that triggered the destruction of three reactors at the Fukushima plant in 2011, Japan halted all nuclear power operations. Now, Tokyo is fully committed to reviving atomic energy to reduce fossil fuel dependency, achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, and meet soaring energy needs driven by AI expansion.