Switch from nuclear power would cost Japan $280 bln-Greenpeace - Reuters Africa

TOKYO, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Shifting away from nuclear power and replacing it with wind and solar energy would cost Japan around $280 billion in new investment by 2020, Greenpeace said on Monday, calling on Tokyo to ensure safety for future power generations.

The report comes as Japan debates the future of nuclear energy after the March quake and tsunami triggered the world's worst nuclear crisis in 25 years at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, who took office early this month, has said the government wants to restart off-line nuclear reactors once safety checks were cleared, with the understanding of local communities.

Some 70 percent of people in Japan oppose nuclear energy and think it is necessary to pursue alternative sources of power despite its potential cost.

Currently, only 11 out of 54 reactors are operating in Japan following maintenance checks due to heightened public worries. That means only 20 percent of the nation's total nuclear power capacity is in use. Solar and wind power account for about one percent of the country's electricity.

In a green energy scenario that includes a small increase in gas-fired power generation, the environmental lobby proposed raising generating capacity from wind turbines to 56 gigawatts from 2.1 GW and that from solar panels to 57 GW from 3.6 GW.

Greenpeace also says the cost of electricity from solar power, which is now higher than that from fossil fuels, should fall to competitive levels as technology advances.

"The price (of solar energy) dropped more than 50 percent in the last year in Europe and will go down another 20 percent in the next 12 months," said Sven Teske, senior energy expert at Greenpeace International.

"There are a lot of Chinese companies that manufacture solar panels and competition is enormous," he added.

Greenpeace wants Japan to cut its capacity for coal-fired energy by 60 percent to 19.3 GW within 10 years. Japan should also cut its capacity from oil-fired power stations by 16 percent, while increasing slightly the capacity of power generated from natural gas, it added. (Reporting By Natalia Konstantinovskaya; Editing by Yoko Nishikawa)

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Biden Thanks Yokota Airmen for Helping Japan - Middle East North Africa Financial Network

Biden Thanks Yokota Airmen for Helping Japan

Aug 27, 2011 (DEFENSE DEPARTMENT DOCUMENTS AND PUBLICATIONS/ContentWorks via COMTEX) -- Biden Thanks Yokota Airmen for Helping Japan

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan, Aug. 24, 2011 - Vice President Joe Biden thanked about 1,000 military and civilian personnel from Japan's Kanto Plains here today for their role during Operation Tomodachi, partnering with agencies worldwide to provide assistance in the wake of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

The vice president stopped at Yokota during his nine-day tour to China, Mongolia and Japan, where he met with key leaders to discuss a full range of bilateral, regional and international issues.

"I've visited military bases all over the world, and what you did here in Japan over the past few months is nothing short of astounding," Biden said. "I come here for a simple reason, on behalf of the president and myself, to say, 'Thank you. Thank you not only for saving thousands of lives. Thank you for making America look as good as we are.'"

The vice president shared about his pride in the service members for their role in aiding the people of Japan.

"All the American people are in awe of what you do day in and day out, especially when you rise to the occasion of the most difficult times," he said. "You guys are awe-inspiring. You were part of the largest humanitarian relief efforts in U.S. history. It was a truly monumental operation."

Biden noted the importance of the relationship between the United States and Japan, and he told the service members and civilians they have an essential role in that partnership.

"The role you all play is going to become increasingly important, and our alliance with Japan will be more important than in the past," he said. "It continues to be absolutely critical, and you are the glue that holds this all together. You're the ones ensuring this alliance remains effective."

After his remarks, the vice president posed for pictures with service members.

Air Force Staff Sgt. Alicia Greene, 374th Wing staff agency unit deployment manager, said she appreciated Biden's words of gratitude and encouragement. "It is really great that Vice President Biden took the time to come here and thank us for all that we did during Operation Tomodachi," she said.

Copyright (C) 2011 Federal Information & News Dispatch, Inc.

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Japan utility keeps to Fukushima cleanup plan, may face delay - Reuters Africa

By Tetsushi Kajimoto and Shinichi Saoshiro

TOKYO (Reuters) - The operator of Japan's tsunami-hit Fukushima nuclear power plant said on Wednesday that it would stick to its timetable of trying to achieve "cold shutdown" of damaged reactors by January, though technical problems could delay the plan.

The Fukushima Daiichi plant was damaged in March by a earthquake and tsunami that left more than 20,000 people dead or missing. The nuclear accident was the worst of its kind since the explosion and fire at Chernobyl in Ukraine in 1986.

"There is no change to the basis of our timeframe. But regarding our aim to bring rectors and fuel pools to cold shutdowns, we have succeeded in further stabilising the situation, Zengo Aizawa, Tepco's vice president, told reporters.

Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco) first announced the cleanup plan in April, proposing to bring under control three nuclear reactors and four pools containing spent nuclear fuel at the Daiichi plant.

Cold shutdown is a state where water used to cool nuclear fuel rods remains below 100 degrees Celsius, making the fuel safe from heating up again.

Cooling systems were knocked out in March, causing meltdowns of nuclear fuel rods at three of the six reactors at the plant, 240 km (150 miles) north of Tokyo. Hydrogen explosions damaged buildings housing the reactors days after the disaster.

Tepco on Wednesday said it had achieved ahead of schedule its aim of bringing the spent fuel pools to stable temperatures and that it would try to further cool the reactors by adjusting the amount of water being pumped into them.

"The cooling at the plant made progress with the extreme effort of workers under very tough conditions," Nuclear Crisis Minister Goshi Hosono told reporters alongside Tepco officials.   Continued...

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