Japanese power companies work towards CO2 goal

The sector’s CO2 emissions were cut to 317 million tons, largely meeting protocol targets.

Japan's power companies drew close to meeting their carbon dioxide emissions goals after using 57 million tons of carbon credits in the latest business year to March, although protracted nuclear reactor shutdowns have cast doubt on progress in the current year, according to a Bloomberg report.

The use of credits under the Kyoto Protocol cut the sector's CO2 emissions to 317 million tons, largely meeting protocol targets, the Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan said.

The federation said, however, that it could no longer project how many carbon credits would be needed to meet protocol targets in the future, given uncertainties over how long nuclear reactors may remain idled while public worries over safety delay the restart of units taken offline for routine maintenance.

The 10 regional utilities, which account for about 30 percent of Japan's greenhouse gas emissions, have each pledged to meet a goal of 0.34 kg of CO2 per kilowatt hour, for a 20 percent improvement from 1990 levels over the five years to March 2013.

Using CO2 credits, the industry cut emissions to 0.35 kg of CO2 per kwh. In the three years to March 2011, the industry used a cumulative 172 million tons of carbon credits to reduce emissions.

Read the full report from Bloomberg here.

Photo from evanbrennan