Suzuki Motor to move production away from nuke plant

Suzuki Motor to move production away from nuke plant
July 08, 2011

Suzuki Motor Corp. will shift half of its engine production at its Sagara plant in Shizuoka Prefecture to another facility to avoid the risk of an accident at a nearby nuclear plant disrupting its supply chain, sources said.

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201107083277


See also: Cities at war over need for Hamaoka nuke plant
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ2011110716746

The old nukes are too dangerous to operate (and are all running way past their design lifetime)
and solar is improving so fast that any new nukes would be obsolete by the time they finish building them
(so says General Electric).

...but I don't think they can overcome the economic inertia of a population that is dedicated to moving away from nuclear. Japanese homeowners aren't afraid to make significant investments for things like solar if they see the need, and I think the lesson of Fukushima isn't going away any time soon. The second article above, about the conflicting economic incentives of the towns near nuclear plants, shows that the support for nuclear is, in effect, purchased. And no matter how you slice it, the nuclear industry isn't going to be able to "purchase" the support of enough people over time to maintain its stranglehold on the Japanese energy system.

I wasn't expecting Suzuki's move however. That was a surprise.