石炭火力発電 技術開発テコに活用続けたい

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Feb. 21, 2013)
Govt must continue pushing coal thermal power generation
石炭火力発電　技術開発テコに活用続けたい（2月20日付・読売社説）

As a nation that relies on foreign energy resources, Japan needs to secure a stable supply of cheap electricity.
　エネルギー資源を海外に依存している日本は、安価な電力を安定的に確保する必要がある。

In the wake of the disaster at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, almost all nuclear reactors in the nation have been idled. Thermal power generation using coal, which is cheaper and more readily available than oil and other fossil fuels, is worth taking another look at.
　東京電力福島第一原子力発電所の事故を受け、大半の原発が停止している。発電コストが安く、石油などより燃料の調達先が多様な石炭火力発電に改めて注目したい。

As part of its management reconstruction, TEPCO aims to procure electricity from new coal-fired thermal power plants to be built by other companies.
　東電は経営再建の一環として、他社が新設する石炭火力発電所から電力調達を目指している。

Within the government, however, opinion on whether to promote the plan is divided. The Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry is in favor of the plan, while Environment Minister Nobuteru Ishihara appears to be against it. Under such circumstances, private businesses will be unable to freely undertake construction projects for coal-fired thermal plants without worry.
　経済産業省がこの計画を支持しているのに対し、石原環境相が難色を示すなど、政府内で評価が分かれている。これでは、民間事業者は安心して石炭火力発電所の新設に乗り出せまい。

Considering how difficult it will be to build new nuclear power plants given the current situation, the government must put forth a policy to push forward with the continued use of coal-fired thermal power.
　原発の新増設が難しい現状を踏まえ、政府は石炭火力の活用を続ける方針を打ち出すべきだ。

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Ways to overcome drawbacks

The biggest advantage of coal-fired thermal power generation is its low cost. According to estimations by a government expert panel, thermal power generation using coal costs 9.5 yen per kilowatt-hour, lower than the 10.7 yen per kWh for liquefied natural gas and 22.1 yen for oil.
　石炭火力の最大の利点は、低コストにある。政府の有識者会議の試算では、石炭火力の発電コストは、１キロ・ワット時あたり９・５円で、ＬＮＧ火力の１０・７円や石油火力の２２・１円より安い。

However, one major drawback of relying on coal is that it creates a relatively large amount of greenhouse gases. Carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired plants are about twice that from LNG-fired plants.
　一方、石炭火力は温室効果ガスの排出が多い欠点がある。二酸化炭素（ＣＯ２）の排出量はＬＮＧ火力の約２倍だ。

Technological progress has been made in curbing CO2 emissions at coal-fired plants, but more ways to make up for such drawbacks must be found.
　石炭火力でＣＯ２発生を抑制する技術は進歩している。弱点をいかにカバーするかが問われる。

The Environment Ministry has put the brakes on constructing new coal-fired thermal plants based on its environmental assessment, a measure it considers necessary to deal with global warming.
　環境省はこれまで地球温暖化対策を理由に、環境影響評価（アセスメント）で石炭火力の新設にブレーキをかけてきた。

Orix Corp. and Toshiba Corp. were forced to reexamine and scrap their coal-fired thermal plant projects in 2006, as coal was deemed to create too much carbon dioxide. The same happened to Nippon Kasei Chemical Co. in 2010. In fact, no new coal-fired thermal plant construction project has been approved in the past decade.
　２００６年にオリックスと東芝が、１０年には日本化成などが「ＣＯ２の排出量が多い」として計画の見直しを迫られ、発電所建設が断念に追い込まれた。この１０年、新設が認められた例はない。

There are no definite standards set on permissible CO2 emission levels. Some observers have noted it is problematic that the Environment Ministry has arbitrarily discouraged the construction of new coal-fired plants.
　許容されるＣＯ２排出量に明確な基準がなく、環境省が恣意(しい)的にストップをかけるのは問題だと指摘する声もある。

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Regulatory reform needed

Last week, the government's advisory panel on regulatory reform announced it would study easing and clarifying the requirements for constructing new coal-fired plants. This is a reasonable step. Regulations that have effectively hampered construction must be urgently reexamined.
　政府の規制改革会議が先週、石炭火力の新設要件の緩和・明確化を、検討テーマとする方針を示したのは妥当だ。発電所の開発を事実上、阻んできた規制の見直しを急いでもらいたい。

Japan faces the task of securing a stable power supply while simultaneously implementing measures against global warming. Achieving this became more difficult after the nuclear disaster at the Fukushima plant. It is important to maintain diversified electricity sources, including coal firing, in addition to restarting nuclear reactors once their safety has been confirmed.
　日本は、電力の安定供給と温暖化対策の両立が課題だ。原発事故で、この目標のハードルは一段と高くなった。安全を確認できた原発を活用するとともに、石炭火力を含め、電源の多様性を維持することが重要である。

Many coal-fired plants in emerging countries, such as China and India, are inefficient. If these nations are to utilize Japan's high-performance equipment, however, it can act as a favorable contribution toward dealing with a global environmental issue.
　中国やインドなど新興国には効率の悪い石炭火力発電所が多い。日本が新興国に、高性能の石炭火力発電設備を普及させることは、地球環境問題への有益な貢献のあり方の一つと言えよう。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Feb. 20, 2013)
（2013年2月20日01時38分 読売新聞）