Japan plans to rebuild between two and five reactors by the 2040s and between 11 and 14 reactors by the 2050s at sites where nuclear power plants are set to be shut down.
The policy, first announced as a draft in June, was adopted at a meeting of cabinet ministers to prepare for a projected power supply shortage in the 2040s due to the decommissioning of ageing nuclear reactors that have been in operation for 60 years.
The aim is to replace ageing reactors that are due to be retired.
Under the current Japanese system, the maximum period a nuclear power plant can operate is 60 years. Four reactors will reach this operational lifetime by 2040. Another 11 will reach it by 2050.
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