Japan reduces fossil fuel generation by 8% in 2023

This is driven by the increasing renewables capacity and declining power demand.

Japan saw an 8% drop or 61 terawatt-hours (TWh) in fossil fuel generation due to the decline in power demand and the rise in clean power production.

In the Global Electricity Review 2024  report, energy think tank Ember said power demand was down by 1.9% or by 20 TWh after recording growth for two consecutive years.

Meanwhile, its clean electricity comprised  31% of its energy mix, led by solar power which accounted for 11% of the total mix, making it the ninth market that holds the largest solar share.

Due to this, gas power generation was down by 7.4% or by 27 TWh, and coal generation by 6.3% or by 22 TWh.

ALSO READ: Stonepeak and CHC form platform for BESS projects in Japan
Despite this development, the country was the sixth largest power sector emitter globally as it still remains reliant on fossil fuel generation.

Aside from solar, wind generation remains low at 0.9%, whilst nuclear and hydropower’s share stood at 7.6% and 7.3%, respectively.

The rise in fossil fuel use was due to the closure of nuclear plants in 2011 and 2012 due to the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

“In recent years, Japan’s nuclear phase-out policy has been reversed by the ‘Green

Transformation’ (GX) policy, which came into force in 2023. The GX policy seeks to increase the use of clean power, including the lifetime extension of nuclear power plants,” the report read.