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Geo FactsheetJanuary 1997 Number 13

Energy Resources in Japan

Energy Resources In Japan

Recent energy policy in Japan has soughtto address three main issues

• Stabilise supplies.

• Decrease carbon dioxide emissions,hence Japan's contribution to globalwarming.

• Increase the efficiency of the supplysystem.

Energy consumption in Japan is high and isexpected to increase by at least 1.5%annually, most of which will be met by the

fossil fuels - oil, gas and coal. Imports ofLNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) are expectedto increase and plans are being developedto import natural gas by pipeline from Siberia.However, Japan is already the most import-dependent country in Asia. Almost all of itscoal, oil and gas is imported, mostly fromthe Middle East, Indonesia, Australia andthe United States.

5 months) and accelerated its program ofnuclear power generation. Escalating oilprices damaged the profitability of many wellestablished oil-based industries such aspetrochemicals and aluminium smelting andless energy-intensive information and hightechnology industries expanded.

58% of the country's total energyrequirement is met by oil (75% of which isimported from the Middle East andIndonesia) but the aim is to reduce thisdependence on oil to below 50% by 2010.Although this will mean continueddependence on a few oil importing states,

Following the two “oil shocks” - in 1973when OPEC quadrupled the priced of oil andthen in 1979 following the revolution in Iran-Japan began to diversify its energy supplies,build up oil reserves (now capable of lasting

Energyresource

Nuclear

Geothermal

Hydro-electricity

G

H

HOKKAIDO

Coal

Oil

Naturalgas

CoalG

HH

H

H

G

H

H

KYUSHU

SHIKOKU

HONSHU

PACIFICOCEAN

SEA OF JAPAN

Oil refining

Iron & Steel

Shipbuilding

O

[

S

S

S

SS

SS

SS

S S

S[

[

[

[

[

[

O

OO

OO

OO O

O

Energy ResourcesAlthough Japan's hydroelectric plants are reliable(high mountains and the summer monsoonensure adequate rainfall), almost every availablesite has been developed. Coal production is insteady decline and dependence on imported coal,mainly from Australia and Canada, is increasing.Despite growing concern, both at home andabroad, Japan is pressing ahead with anambitious nuclear programmme.

IndustryAlmost all of Japan's major industry (oilrefineries, iron and steelmills and aluminiumworks), are situated on the coast. Japan stillaccounts for 30% of the world's shipbuildingindustry.

Mountains

MountainsSince most of the country is mountainous, andbecause Japan is very heavily dependent onimports of energy and raw materials, mostdevelopment has occurred around deep naturalharbours.

Exam Hint - Good candidates will constantlyask the question: "How does the distributionof industry relate to the physical geographyof the country?".

Fig 1. Fig 2. Fig 3.

Energy Resources in Japan Geo Factsheet

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Table 1. Estimates of Japanese Primary Energy Supplies

98

95

99

100

0

0

0

2000

ComponentRatio (%)

(million kl)

52.9308

16.4130

12.953

12.345.6

3.422.2

0.21.0

2.012.1

2010

ComponentRatio (%)

(million kl)

47.7303

15.4134

12.858

16.970.5

3.726.5

0.63.8

3.019.1

% Imported

Oil

Coal

Natural Gas

Nuclear

Hydro (million kw)

Geothermal (million kw)

Solar, others

1992

ComponentRatio (%)

(million kl)

58.2315

16.1116.3

10.640.7

10.034.4

3.821

0.10.55

1.26.7

Japan believes that these countries near-dependence on oil revenues effectivelysafeguards supplies.

The Institute of Energy Economics (IEE)has forecast annual growth of 2.5% inJapan's Gross Domestic Product (GDP)through to 2005 and the IEE anticipateenergy supplies will need to increase by1.5% annually to keep pace. Most of thisgrowth is expected to come from fossil fuels.

With only three of its coal mines still inoperation, almost all of the coal used inJapan's steel works is imported (See Fig 2),hence their location on deep naturalharbours which, along with land reclaimedfrom the sea, also form the major centresaround which population has grown.

that this will simultaneously decreasecarbon dioxide emissions. If the abovetargets are met, it is expected that by 2020nuclear power will account for 30% of thecountry's total energy supplies.

Japan is the only country which hascommitted itself to using plutonium in itscivil nuclear power program. Current LightWater Reactors (LWR) use low-enricheduranium but these are expected to bereplaced firstly by Advanced ThermalReactors (ATRs) or Advanced BoilingWater Reactors using mixed oxide fuel andthen by fast neutron reactors usingplutonium. The latter reaction can producebetween 50 and 60 times as much energyfrom the original uranium. Currently justthree of Japan's LWRs use plutonium butby 2000, this is expected to increase to ten.

Attempts to close the nuclear fuel cycle inthis way have been beset with physical andsocial problems: nuclear power stations needflat land on the coast (for cooling water)whose underlying geology is both near thesurface and stable. 83% of the country ismountainous and the entire archipelago issurrounded by volcanoes and prone toearthquakes. Japan's enthusiasm for thedevelopment of nuclear technology istherefore perhaps surprising. Nuclear powerstations must be sited as far away aspossible from centres of high populationdensity and must avoid flight paths ofcommercial and military aircraft. Given theseconcerns, a very vocal anti-nuclear lobbyhas become established. Of perhaps evengreater concern are the difficulties whichJapan faces in maintaining its supplies ofreprocessed nuclear material. Throughplutonium, Japan has the basis of a nuclearweapons program and this is provingextremely controversial both at home andabroad.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

35 451940 1950 55 1960 65 1970 75 1980 85 1990

Coa

l in

mill

ions

of t

onne

s

Year

Fig 4. Coal Production

Combined Heat and Power

Japan has become one of the world leadersin the development of CHP - basically theuse of waste heat from power stations toproduce steam. CHP schemes are usuallysmall scale (tens of kilowatts to tens ofmegawatts) and have been used to makefactories, small industrial complexes, hotelsand shopping centres completelyindependent of the national grid. CHPsystems attract low interest loans from the

Nuclear Power

Nuclear power currently provides 11% ofprimary energy supplies and 32% ofelectricity. This is expected to increase overthe next 15 years. Nuclear power was initiallydeveloped in the 1950s as a means ofincreasing energy diversity and security.Japan now has 50 operating nuclear powerplants and another 4 are being built. TheJapanese Institute of Economics hasproposed that the currently installed nucleargenerating capacity of 40,000 MWe shouldbe increased to 90,000 MWe by 2020 and to100,000 MWe by 2030. Nuclear powergeneration is widely seen asthe most efficient way in which oildependency can be reduced and it is argued

Japanese government.

Japan's unique physical problem - only onethird of the land area is deemed habitable -also means that it is impossible to find newsites for large thermal and nuclear powerstations. Given this - and a growing, energy-hungry population of 125 million - CHP isseen as a valuable niche technology whichcan be used to secure the energyindependence of hospitals, hotels,shopping complexes, offices and lightindustries such as food processing andrefining.

The very factors which make such a largepercentage of Japan's land area inhospitablealso offer opportunities for hydroelectricpower generation (HEP). However, most ofthe best sites have already been developed.Similarily, it has been estimated thatgeothermal energy could supply 15-20% ofthe country's energy needs. By drawing offthe superheated waters beneath the islands,steam could be generated to powerelectricity-generating turbines.

Acknowledgements;This Geo Factsheet was researched andwritten by Kevin Byrne.

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