Japan to make renewables top power source by 2040 [Video]

Japan wants renewable energy to be its top power source by 2040 in a push to reduce dependence on coal and gas and become carbon neutral by mid-century, government plans showed on Tuesday.

Thirteen years after the 2011 Fukushima disaster, the plan also foresees a major role for nuclear power in helping to meet growing energy demand from artificial intelligence and microchip factories.

The world’s fourth-largest economy — which campaigners say has the dirtiest energy mix in the G7 — had already set a goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050.

Under the new plans, renewables such as solar and wind were expected to account for 40 to 50 percent of electricity generation by 2040.

That marks a jump from last year’s level of 23 percent and a previous target for 2030 of 38 percent.

Resource-poor Japan “will aim to maximise the use of renewable energy as our main source …