Japan's CO2 Emissions Rise on Nuclear Plant Closure

By Shigeru Sato

Nov. 12 (Bloomberg) -- Japan, the world's fourth-biggest energy user, said the nation's greenhouse-gas emissions rose 2.3 percent in the year ended March as utilities burned more fossil fuels to offset a decline in output from nuclear reactors.

Emissions of heat-trapping gases including carbon dioxide rose to 1.371 billion metric tons from 1.34 billion tons a year earlier, according to preliminary data compiled by the environment ministry. That's an 8.7 percent increase from 1990.

The continued closure of Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, which was damaged by an earthquake on July 16 last year, has thwarted the country's efforts to boost carbon-free power generation. Japan, a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol, is under pressure to achieve its emission- reduction target under the United Nations treaty.

``Among the reasons behind the increase of emissions is falling utilization rates of Japan's nuclear power plants that's prompting utilities to boost usage of thermal generators,'' the environment ministry said in its report today.

The world's second-biggest economy has pledged to cut emissions of gases blamed for global warming by 6 percent from the 1990 level. The reduction must be made over the five years that started April this year.

Output of carbon dioxide increased 2.6 percent to 1.305 billion tons in the year ended March, or up 14.1 percent from 1990, according to the ministry's report. Methane emissions fell 1.6 percent to 23.1 million tons.

Japan's nuclear plant utilization rate dropped to 60.7 percent of capacity in the year ended March from 69.9 percent a year earlier, according to the Federation of Electric Power Companies. Tokyo Electric's nuclear-plant operating rates fell to 44.9 percent of capacity from 74.2 percent.

The following is a table showing Japan's emissions of greenhouse gases in a fiscal year starting April 1 and ending March 31 the following year.

Greenhouse Gases    Fiscal Year        Volumes (in billion tons)
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                        2007                1.371
                        2006                1.340
                        2005                1.358
                        2004                1.356
                        2003                1.362
                        2002                1.356
                        2001                1.323
                        2000                1.349
                        1999                1.331
                        1998                1.309
                        1997                1.352
                        1996                1.358
                        1995                1.344
                        1994                1.280
                        1993                1.219
                        1992                1.227
                        1991                1.219
                        1990                1.210
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Source: Japan's Ministry of Environment.

To contact the reporter on this story: Shigeru Sato in Tokyo at ssato10@bloomberg.net.