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