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Environment Minister Yoshio Mochizuki has been pushing back on
the growing use of coal to generate power after the Fukushima
nuclear disaster led to the shutdown of the nation's reactors,
as concerns mount over greenhouse gas emissions.
In June, he objected to plans for a 1.2 GW coal-fired plant to
be built by Electric Power Development and Osaka Gas.
An official at the environment ministry on Friday confirmed that
Mochizuki planned to submit an opinion to the industrial
ministry later in the day on Chubu's plant, to be built in
Taketoyo in central Japan, but declined to comment on its
content.
Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has been
promoting the use of coal to cut costs relative to imports of
expensive liquefied natural gas (LNG) after the Fukushima
disaster.
Under Japan's environmental impact assessment law, government
approval for a power plant project is based on an examination of
its effects on the surrounding environment.
The industry ministry handles the process and is authorized to
give an approval, although the environment ministry can submit
opinions during the assessment that could influence the final
decision.
NHK also said Mochizuki would at a news conference later in the
day say that a voluntary plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions
that was mapped out by the country's power industry in July
would not be effective enough and should be reconsidered.
Japan's Federation of Electric Power Companies, whose members
include the 10 main power monopolies, and 25 other firms said
last month they had voluntarily set a goal to curb CO2 emissions
per 1 kilowatt of power by 35 percent from 2013 levels to around
0.37 kg in 2030.
Japan has faced increasing criticism by environmental groups and
from other countries as it burns record amounts of coal and
plans a wave of new power stations using the fuel as it
struggles to revive its nuclear industry.
(Reporting by Yuka Obayashi; Editing by Joseph Radford)
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