Abstract
Damage to the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant by the recent earthquake and tsunami that hit northern Japan should stimulate consideration of alternative sources of energy. In particular, if managed appropriately, the 25.1 million ha of Japanese forests could be an important source of wood biomass for bioenergy production. Here, we discuss policy incentives for substituting wood bioenergy for nuclear power, thereby creating a safer society while better managing the forest resources in Japan.
Highlights
Damage to the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant by the recent earthquake and tsunami that hit northern Japan should stimulate consideration of alternative sources of energy
$133 billion in liabilities for compensation if the current nuclear crisis lasts for 2 years
New initiatives to promote improved forest management in the tropics, including the UNFCCC program to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and enhance carbon sinks (REDD+) are likely to result in reduced wood supplies and higher prices as timber will increasingly be sourced from responsibly managed forests
Summary
Earthquake-related damage to the nuclear power plants of the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) in Fukushima represents the largest economic disaster to hit Japan since World War II. The 80.9 billion kWh of electricity once generated by TEPCO’s nuclear facility could be provided by the burning of 14.6 million tonnes of woody biomass. Etoh et al [6] estimated the thinning residues in forests (tops, branches, and foliage) and waste at wood processing factories at 68.6 million tonnes of woody biomass available annually for generating 381.0 billion kWh (see [6] for calculation) or about. If disposed wood residues left in forests and wood wastes in wood processing factories were used This is based on the assumption that 20 PJ or 0.28 billion kWh are produced per million tonnes of wood biomass [8]; (2) Value was taken from Etoh et al [6]
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