Japan aims to boost government use of renewable power

The Japanese government is planning to boost use of electricity generated from renewable energy sources at ministries and state-owned facilities to 30pc in the April 2021-March 2022 fiscal year as a first step towards achieving the country's 2050 decarbonisation target.

Environment minister Shinjiro Koizumi and administrative reform minister Taro Kono said today the government will instruct all ministries and state bodies to ensure at least 30pc of their power use comes from renewable sources such as solar and wind, starting from 2021-22. Renewable power use at most ministries is currently estimated at below 10pc.

Renewable power made up 18pc of Japan's total power output in 2019-20, nearing Tokyo's target of boosting renewable power generation to 22-24pc of its 2030 total power output. Renewable power output increased by 5pc on the year to 185mn MWh in the last fiscal year, according to government data.

Tokyo has pledged to make renewable energy its primary power source by 2050. Thermal power generation, including coal, LNG and oil, made up 76pc of Japan's total power output in 2019-20. LNG and gas were the biggest power-generating sources in the same year, accounting for 37pc of total power output.

Increasing output and use of renewable power has led to a fall in Japan's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in recent years. The country's GHG emissions declined for a sixth consecutive year to a new low in 2019-20.

By Rieko Suda