by Justin McCurry, The Guardian:
Japan has 54 nuclear reactors, but as of Saturday, not one of them will be in operation – how will the country cope?
This weekend Japan will begin a bold experiment in energy use that no one had thought possible – until the Fukushima Daiichi power plant suffered a triple meltdown just over a year ago.
On Saturday, when the Hokkaido electric power company shuts down the No3 reactor at its Tomari plant for maintenance, the world’s third-largest economy will be without a single working nuclear reactor for the first time for almost 50 years.
The closure of the last of Japan’s 54 reactors marks a dramatic shift in energy policy, but while campaigners prepare to celebrate, the nationwide nuclear blackout comes with significant economic and environmental risks attached.
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