Shoko Oda

In a Quiet Fishing Town, Japan Steps Toward a New Nuclear Era More than a decade after the Fukushima disaster, the country faces a stark choice: build anew or risk losing the expertise needed to sustain the industry.

⚛️For @bloomberg.com Weekend Edition: I wrote about my visit to the site where a Japanese utility is considering building a brand-new nuclear reactor.

It's the 1st time since the 2011 accident in Fukushima that a firm is actively considering such construction.

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Fall in Tokyo ✨🍂🎌

🗣️Niigata governor Hideyo Hanazumi is scheduled to speak about his decision in a press conference Friday at 4PM local time.

Story from me and my teammate Yusuke Maekawa.

⚛️The governor's approval is the last major hurdle before the facility can restart.

It’s hugely symbolic for Japan, and the strongest signal yet that the country is re-embracing nuclear power. Tepco was also the operator of Fukushima plant that suffered a meltdown accident in 2011.

Japan’s Biggest Nuclear Plant to Get De Facto Restart Approval Tokyo Electric Power Co. will receive approval from a local Japanese governor on Friday to restart the country’s biggest nuclear power plant, according to documents seen by Bloomberg.

Tokyo Electric will get approval from a local Japanese governor on Friday to restart the country’s biggest nuclear power plant.

Niigata governor will clear 2 units at Kashiwazaki Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant to restart, according to documents seen by Bloomberg.

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Japan’s “Iron Lady” 👀🇯🇵

First (and perhaps only) time at Osaka Expo 2025

Ofc they have a massive Gundam at site 🤖

Mitsubishi Heavy To Double Gas Turbine Capacity as Demand Soars Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. aims to double its gas turbine capacity in the next two years as demand for the equipment rises globally due to replacement and data center needs.

🗾Japanese manufacturer Mitsubishi Heavy Industries aims to double its gas turbine production capacity in the next 2 yrs as demand for the equipment rises globally due to replacement and data center needs.

With Nick Takahashi and Tsuyoshi Inajima
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Just yesterday ⬇️
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Trying to wrap my head around the fact that it is already 30C here in Tokyo and it’s only 7am 🥵 🫠

Japan Records Highest Temperature Ever as Heat Wave Lingers A city in western Japan set a new national temperature record, according to a local broadcaster, as scorching weather puts people at risk of heat stroke and strains power grids.

🥵This is all happening at the same time as a heat wave, raising concerns about people who have to evacuate outdoors.

A city in western Japan set a new national temperature record, according to a local broadcaster.

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Powerful Earthquake Triggers Tsunami Warnings From US to Japan The US West Coast and countries in the Pacific braced for tsunamis in the wake of a powerful earthquake in Russia’s Far East, although the initial waves to hit Japan were small.

🫨 A mag-8.8 quake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on Wednesday, triggering tsunami alerts from Japan to Canada, California, Hawaii and as far away as Indonesia and New Zealand.

With @maryhui.bsky.social and @annaedge4.bsky.social

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Japan Prime Minister Ishiba Denies Reports About Resignation Embattled Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba denied media reports that said he is set to announce his resignation soon following Sunday’s historic electoral setback.

Meanwhile local media reported Japan’s embattled PM Ishiba is set to announce resignation after Sunday’s historical election setback. Ishiba later denied these reports.

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Trump Strikes Deal With Ally Japan Setting Tariff Rate at 15% President Donald Trump reached a trade deal with Japan that will impose 15% tariffs on imports including automobiles from the key American ally, while creating a $550 billion fund to make investments ...

We started the morning with President Trump’s Truth Social post— the US reached a trade deal with Japan, with the US cutting tariffs on car and car parts to 15%, and across-the-board tariffs to 15%.

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

elmo from sesame street is standing in front of a fire ALT: elmo from sesame street is standing in front of a fire

Japan reporters today 😵😵😵

The decision marks Japan’s most significant step toward reviving atomic power since the meltdown accident in Fukushima. Like in many other countries, the government is backing nuclear energy to meet an expected rise in electricity demand from the AI boom over the next decade.

Japan Looks at Building First Atomic Reactor Since Fukushima Kansai Electric Power Co. is looking into a plan to build Japan’s first nuclear reactor since the country soured on the technology following the 2011 Fukushima disaster, the regional utility confirmed...

🇯🇵☢️A Japanese utility is looking into a plan to build the nation's first nuclear reactor since the 2011 Fukushima disaster.

Kansai Electric said it will resume surveys for a potential new reactor at the Mihama Nuclear Power Plant.

Gift link, valid for 7 days:
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Japan Utility to Survey First Nuclear Reactor Since Fukushima: Nikkei Japan’s Kansai Electric Power Co. will begin studying plans for a nuclear power reactor, the first step toward constructing a new one since the 2011 Fukushima disaster, Nikkei reported.

Kansai’s decision would make it the first step toward constructing a new reactor in Japan since the 2011 Fukushima disaster.

Gift link:
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

関西電力、福井・美浜に原発新設へ　東日本大震災後で国内初 - 日本経済新聞 関西電力が次世代の原子力発電所の建設に乗り出すことが18日、わかった。美浜原発（福井県美浜町）の敷地内で、地質などの調査を始める。原発の新増設が具体化するのは東日本大震災以降、初めて。政府が脱炭素目標の達成に欠かせないと位置づける原発の活用が動き出す。関電は新設に向けた調査を始めると近く発表する。来週にも関電幹部が地元自治体に説明する。2010年に美浜原発で新設へ向けた調査に着手したが、東京電

🚨☢️Friday night hot news☢️🚨

Japanese regional utility Kansai Electric Power Co. will start geological surveys at the Mihama Nuclear Power Plant to study plans for a new nuclear reactor, Nikkei reports, without saying where it got the information.

www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZ...

⬇️ A timely explainer from my colleague Lauren about FEMA and its current state, as we head into hurricane season.

Meta’s Nuclear Deal Underscores the Looming Gap for AI’s Power Needs Meta Platforms Inc.’s flashy deal this week for nuclear power was just the latest sign of the technology industry’s need for more energy — and fast. And while the top US reactor companies are eager to...

⚛️ Meta’s deal this week to procure nuclear power yet again shows tech industry’s need for more energy.

But it also shows a mismatch with the energy industry that often takes years to plan and build new plants.
With @willwwade.bsky.social.

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Charging Installations Drop as Trump Ramps Up Attacks on EVs The prospect of House Republicans’ cuts to electric vehicle subsidies threatens to further dim the outlook.

Addition of high-speed EV chargers across the US fell by more than 21% in the first quarter compared to last year. The slowdown may just be beginning as Trump steps up attacks on EVs, and Republicans push to end subsidies.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Gas Power Is Cheaper to Buy Than Build in the US Companies are adding capacity at comparative bargains to satisfy AI’s thirst for energy.

If there was any lingering doubt about whether gas-fired generation plants are the hottest targets in the US power system, the recent flurry of deals likely extinguished it.

My column here:

www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...

The AI Boom Is Draining Water From the Areas That Need It Most A Bloomberg News analysis finds that roughly two thirds of new data centers built or in development in the US since 2022 are in places with high levels of water stress.

Each time you ask an AI chatbot a question, it sends a request to a data center and strains an increasingly scarce resource: water.

A 🧵on our investigation into how the data centers that power AI are increasingly being built in highly water-stressed places:

www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...

Buffett Handing Complicated Climate Legacy to Berkshire Energy Head Berkshire Hathaway is at once a renewables powerhouse and a big investor in fossil fuels.

Buffett runs a renewables heavyweight and has written that climate change is “highly likely” a “problem for the planet.”

Yet Berkshire is a major investor in oil, gas and coal — a position poised to endure well after the 94-year-old retires.

My analysis here: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

New Danish Nuclear Power Fund Targets Raising €350 Million The rapid expansion of data centers and the electrification of sectors including heavy industry are among the factors driving renewed interest in atomic energy.

⚛️A new Danish fund is aiming to raise €350 million ($397 million) to exclusively back the atomic industry and its supply chain.

92 Capital aims to invest in nuclear power vendors, companies that support the rollout of atomic energy and supply chain like fuel.

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

The Fast Track to the Trading Floor Runs Through a Texas Public University The energy boom has helped give students in a specialized program at Texas A&M a leg up on lucrative finance jobs.

Great, colorful story by @naurtorious.bsky.social about Texas A&M's program churning out some of the energy industry's most coveted first-year analysts... just reading the competitiveness of it makes me nervous and anxious. 😵

www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

Join me at 7:30 am Pacific / 10:30 am Eastern today for a live Q&A on climate tech under Trump 👇

Used Solar Panels Sold on Facebook and eBay Have Cult Following Devotees of secondhand panels tout their low price and the environmental benefits of keeping them in rotation longer.

The rise of solar has spawned a niche market in used panels on sites like eBay and Craigslist. Homesteaders and tinkerers — like Todd Dabney, who MacGyvered a solar cooler for his Burning Man tent — love them. Story by @shokooda.bsky.social [gift link]

Used Solar Panels Sold on Facebook and eBay Have Cult Following Devotees of secondhand panels tout their low price and the environmental benefits of keeping them in rotation longer.

🌞 Some folks are opting to buy solar panels used on classified ad sites, like Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, eBay

One guy decided to make a swamp cooler for Burning Man using a secondhand panel.

Edited by @amandakhurley.bsky.social, gift link valid for 7 days: www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...