Fukushima, Japan’s third-largest prefecture and home to the largest nuclear disaster this century, is set to be transformed into a new renewable energy hub. Back in 2011 Fukushima was leveled by a tsunami resulting from a 9.0 magnitude earthquake.
This caused massive amounts of nuclear waste to pollute the oceans at an alarming rate. Decontamination of the region is still ongoing to this day surrounding the nuclear plant.
Since the accident in 2011, Japan’s government has been working on plans to make the area into a renewable energy hub. Their goal is to try to power the entire region with 100% renewable energy by 2040. Do to so, they plan to use wind, solar, hydro, and geothermal energies, along with biomass.
The government already has investors in place to construct 10 wind power plants and 11 new solar farms on the hillsides and farmlands that are no longer used due to radiation exposure. The beginning stages of development for the new plants will take place within the next 5 years. The first scheduled will be a 20-megawatt (MW) installation in Minamisoma, Fukushima.
The Japanese are optimistic about the amount of electricity they will be able to produce from the project. They are hopeful that this new clean energy action plan will supply the area with 40% of its energy coming from renewables by 2020. Further hopes are for it to supply 66% by 2030 and 100% renewable by 2040.
The current estimated costs of the green energy project are expected to be around 300 billion Japanese yen or $2.75 billion US. Financial backing for the project includes private lender Mizuho Bank and state-run Development Bank of Japan.
This certainly sounds better than nuclear waste leaking into the ocean and poisoning the food supply. However, the country must also come up with a way to dispose of more than one million tons of nuclear waste and radio-active water stored in containers on its shores. Hopefully, someone can come up with a better solution than dumping it into the pacific ocean, which is what is being discussed now.
