Japan should put more eggs in the renewable basket

Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words\nJapan’s restarting of the world’s biggest nuclear power plant is a bold response to energy insecurity, economic stagnation and climate imperatives. In contrast to intermittent, weather-dependent renewable sources such as wind and solar, nuclear power offers reliable 24/7 electricity – crucial to bolstering Tokyo’s industrial competitiveness.\nIn the face of structural constraints on large-scale renewable deployment, the restart could reduce Japan’s reliance on imported coal and liquefied natural gas, which cost about US$67 billion last year, while helping Tokyo to mitigate geopolitical risks by limiting exposure to external shocks and supply chain disruptions.\nYet nuclear power alone cannot secure Japan’s energy future. Renewables must expand faster. Removing approval delays, overcoming land-use challenges and reducing market uncertainties are essential in scaling solar, wind and other proven technologies.\nThe country’s strategic energy plan for 2040 – with an energy mix including renewables at up to 50 per cent and nuclear at 20 per cent – offers policy stability to businesses and promotes decarbonisation.\nTokyo’s focus on next-generation technologies like perovskite solar cells and nuclear fusion reflects a desire to reduce dependence on Chinese-made solar panels. China dominates the manufacturing and supply chains of solar panels and wind turbines and is rapidly becoming a nuclear powerhouse, with substantial investments in fusion.\nBut perovskite and fusion remain years from commercial viability. With the former, durability and cost remain issues. The latter may take decades to reach the grid.\nNuclear energy can deliver high-capacity, low-carbon baseload power but the financial challenges cannot be ignored. Taking into consideration the construction and lifetime operating costs of nuclear plants, the levelised cost of electricity for advanced nuclear power was estimated at $110/MWh in 2023 and is expected to remain unchanged up to 2050. Even nuclear-heavy France plans for renewables to provide 33 per cent of its energy consumption by 2030.\nWhile next-generation technologies could lay the foundation for Japan’s long-term resilience, the country shouldn’t lag behind in a critical sector like renewables in the near term.\nAzhar Azam, Lahore, Pakistan\nLet’s do better on paper and plastic bottle recycling\nThe waste statistics for 2024, released last month, show both encouraging progress and pressing challenges in Hong Kong’s waste management. The per capita disposal rate fell to 1.4kg per day, the second lowest level in a decade, yet several trends require close scrutiny.\nForemost among these is a surge in paper waste. While the phasing out of single-use plastics led to plastic tableware waste falling by a notable 14.8 per cent to 207 tonnes per day, many businesses appear to have substituted plastics with paper-based alternatives. Consequently, paper waste rose by about 12 per cent to 2,431 tonnes per day and is the second largest category of landfill waste.\nThe forthcoming EcoPark recycling plant is expected to process much of this locally. However, reports indicate that the suppliers’ minimum price of HK$1,200 per tonne is insufficient to sustain the entire used paper supply chain. The authorities must stabilise the frontline recyclers’ price to defend both environmental objectives and the livelihoods of grass-roots workers, including scavengers, and ensure the plant represents a genuine step forward.\nFood waste trends are more positive. The daily amount of food disposed in 2024 was 3,001 tonnes, 6 per cent down from 2023. By the end of 2024, about 1,200 smart recycling bins had been installed, collecting around 75,040 tonnes of food waste – nearly three-quarters of the total recycled. Overall, 104,800 tonnes of food waste were recycled, equivalent to half of Hong Kong’s treatment capacity of 219,000 tonnes annually.\nWhile public participation is strong, further policy measures are required to maximise the efficiency of existing infrastructure.\nPlastic bottles remain a significant concern. The amount disposed rose by 9 per cent to 217 tonnes per day, despite the reverse vending machine pilot scheme.\nIn 2024, Hong Kong used an estimated 1.6 billion plastic bottles, yet only 64.5 million bottles were collected through 120 machines, representing a recycling rate of 4 per cent.\nThe government is suggesting a rebate of at least 10 cents and aiming for a 30 per cent recycling rate for plastic containers and 10 per cent for cartons.\nSingapore’s Beverage Container Return Scheme, to be launched this year with 1,000 return points and refunds of 10 S cents (60 HK cents), targets a return rate of 80 per cent by 2029.\nHong Kong should adopt similarly ambitious measures, with refunds between 50 HK cents and HK$1, to align with the goals of the Waste Blueprint for Hong Kong 2035.\nRico Wong, executive director, The Green Earth\n