Japan’s unseasonal curb highlights power instability
Energy supply is still missing its nuclear ‘third leg’ and a huge expansion of renewables is urgently needed
A request from the Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan to curb use of non-essential electrical appliances this month highlights the need for decisive action to embrace renewable energy. Japanese peak demand usually comes in summer due to air-conditioning use, says Stefan Le Du, climate project manager at the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Co-operation in Tokyo. Winter peaks leading to requests to avoid non-essential appliances are more unusual, he says. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has said the current 2030 national target for greenhouse gas reduction will be raised before Cop26. Increasing the use of nuclear power to do so remains fraught with political danger. “The only optio
Also in this section
2 January 2026
This year may be a defining one for carbon capture, utilisation and storage in the US, despite the institutional uncertainty
23 December 2025
Legislative reform in Germany sets the stage for commercial carbon capture and transport at a national level, while the UK has already seen financial close on major CCS clusters
15 December 2025
Net zero is not the problem for the UK’s power system. The real issue is with an outdated market design in desperate need of modernisation
28 November 2025
The launch of the bloc’s emissions trading system in 2005 was a pioneering step, but as the scheme hits 21 its impact as a driver of decarbonisation is still open to debate
