Indicator 1: Number of Operational Coal-fired Power Plants (Monthly)
This performance indicator is a baseline indicator simply tracking the number of coal-fired power plants currently in operation in Japan. To reveal progress, the net increase and decrease of the total number of coal-fired power plants will also be given.
Name: Number of operational coal-fired power plants in Japan with net increase/decrease
Type: Performance indicator tracking the total number of coal-fired power plants in operation in the country and the increase/decrease.
This indicator will monitor and update the number of coal-fired power plants in Japan. While there can be extreme variations in power generated, a lower number of coal-fired power plants in operation signals a greater potential for lower-emissions.
Coal power accounts for approximately 27% of Japan’s electricity generation and is the focus of rapid reductions in carbon emissions, LNG accounts for another 35%.[1] While Japan has committed to reduce total emissions by 46% compared with 2013 levels by 2030, the focus surely needs to be on rapidly reducing coal power, but LNG exposure cannot be ignored.
The data will be compiled from an array of sources including government and NGO sources.[2] The total number of operation coal-fired power plants in the country will also be monitored by reading various news articles and government press releases. This data can be updated monthly.
As of March 2022, there are 167 coal-fired power plants currently in operation in Japan.
Indicator 2: Renewable Energy’s Share of Japan’s Energy Mix (Annual)
This indicator will track the share of renewables in Japan’s Energy Mix. It is reliable as it is updated on a regular basis and provides an insight into the evolving share of renewables in the country’s Energy Mix.
The potential of renewable energy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is clearly established. Electricity generated from clean and renewable sources, such as solar and wind, replace greenhouse gas emitting fossil fuels in a country’s Energy Mix. Japan, as of the end of 2020 is the fifth largest greenhouse gas emitting country in the world, with 20.8% of its energy mix coming from renewable sources (including biomass), another 4.3% from nuclear, with the remaining 74.9% coming from LNG, coal, oil, and other fossil fuels.[3]
The government aims to increase the share of renewable electricity in the Energy Mix to 36-38% by 2030.[4]
The data on the percentage share of Renewables in Japan’s Energy Mix will be sourced from the Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies. This report is updated annually.
At the end of 2020, Renewables made up 20.8% of Japan’s Energy Mix.
Data Sources
Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies
Japan Beyond Coal
This Post was submitted by Climate Scorecard Japan Country Manager James Hawrylak
[1]https://www.isep.or.jp/en
[2]https://beyond-coal.jp/, https://www.env.go.jp/, https://nocoaljapan.org/, https://www.fepc.or.jp/,
[3] https://www.isep.or.jp/
[4] https://www.meti.go.jp/