TOKYO -- Japan's Federation of Electric Power Companies and a group of 19 power producers and suppliers on Thursday unveiled a draft of how they plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by around 35% of what the industry belched in fiscal 2013.
Unlike the federation's large-scale utilities like Tokyo Electric Power, the other group of companies is new to electricity retailing and is focusing on small users. This is the first time the two camps have come together to share a target.
According to the draft, Japan's electricity industry is finalizing the fiscal 2030 target to be at around 0.37kg of carbon emissions per 1kW of electricity sold. In fiscal 2013, 0.57kg was emitted for every 1kW sold.
Japan's greenhouse emissions shot up after a massive earthquake and tsunami caused meltdowns in March 2011. According to the draft, reaching the target would mean bringing emission levels below where they were before the meltdowns.
The plan calls for increased use of renewable energy sources, such as hydro power, geothermal heating and solar panels. It also calls for more efficient thermal power generation technologies. In addition, it calls for ensuring the safety of Japan's reactors and getting them back online.
The draft does not specify what the entire industry's cut will be, nor have individual companies been assigned specific caps.
(Nikkei)
