Building a Collaboration Network towards the Social Acceptance of Nuclear and Coal Power in East Asia

Abstract

The radioactive disaster at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station on 11 March 2011 caused a serious impact on regional society. More than 100,000 local residents were forced to leave their home for a long time. The general public in emerging economies in Asia was greatly shocked not only because the disaster was one of the three most severe nuclear accidents so far but also because it happened in Japan, which has been well known as one of the most advanced countries in terms of technology and infrastructure. Meanwhile, economic efficiency is an inevitable element that should be considered in developing power stations in Asia. In this light, coal fired power stations appear as an option as they have advantages in terms of stability of supply and economic efficiency. However, although there are technologies that utilise coal at lower environmental burdens, concern over carbon emission sometimes harms the adoption of coal fired power generation. Therefore, cultivating mutual reliance and agreement between institutional stakeholders such as the government, the licensee and the local municipalities would be crucial to the establishment and operation of a nuclear and coal facility. Intense and practical research on issues such as the specific feature of nuclear and coal power, their roles in energy security and climate change, social influence, and disclosure of risk information would be highly appreciated from a socio scientific point of view. Raising a proposal for collaboration towards the social acceptance of nuclear and coal power in East Asia and taking practical action are of immediate necessity and would greatly contribute to the smooth development and utilisation of this energy in East Asia.