Japan is laying the groundwork to proceed with next-generation nuclear energy plants once its fleet of idled reactors has been restarted, as soaring gas prices and power-hungry data centres have prompted a rethink on atomic power in the earthquake-prone nation.
Asia’s second-largest economy signalled late last year that it would allow construction of new atomic reactors at existing sites, marking a significant policy shift in the country’s aversion to the controversial electricity source following the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011. Japan is reactivating nuclear reactors that were shut down in the wake of the accident, reopening 14 out of 54 that were closed to date.