They told me I was crazy.
Less than two months after the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant melted down, I told a group of investors at a green energy conference that Japan would absolutely not abandon nuclear power as a contributor to its energy economy.
Perhaps I encountered a lot of criticism because the images were still so fresh; but I knew, despite the snickers and the mocking from the audience, that the Land of the Rising Sun would never completely kick nuclear to the curb.
Sure, the rapid development of solar and wind power will replace some of Japan’s older nuclear power plants. That’s already well under way. But it won’t be enough — at least, not any time within the next 20 years — to end the nation’s reliance on nuclear power.
And I don’t say this to be critical of solar and wind. After all, I’ve been supporting and profiting from renewables for well over a decade now…
There’s just no denying that without nuclear power, blackouts continue to threaten Japan.
And this is why I was so confident in my prediction last spring.
Of course, that’s old news at this point. And aside from the satisfaction of being right about Japan restarting some of its nuclear power plants, my nearly year-old prediction isn’t going to help us make any money today.
But this is…
Busted Bureaucrats!
Last Thursday a reactor at the Ohi nuclear power plant in western Japan began generating power.
Government officials breathed a sigh of relief — for about an hour…
Turns out only moments after the Ohi reactor went back online, the final investigative commission report on the Fukushima disaster was released.
The report claims the Fukushima disaster was man-made because it could have been avoided had industry officials and TEPCO (the power plant’s operator) not intentionally postponed safety measures that would have avoided reactor stoppages.
The report goes on to suggest that collusion among the government, regulators, and the utility itself had allowed lax preparation and precautions.
As a result of the report, protesters have doubled their efforts to keep Japan’s nuclear power plants shut down for good.
But that’s not going to happen.
I’m not saying Japan’s nuclear power plants are safe enough to be operational. I have no idea; I’m not an expert in nuclear safety and I haven’t been to Japan in years.
Here’s what I do know: Those with the purse strings to dictate policy want nuclear back.
And that’s exactly what they’re getting.
Our analysts have traveled the world over, dedicated to finding the best and most profitable investments in the global energy markets. All you have to do to join our Energy and Capital investment community is sign up for the daily newsletter below.
Nuclear’s Comeback
A very powerful business lobby in Japan has succeeded in getting nuclear power back online in Japan.
Their main argument: Japanese businesses could not handle any possible disruptions in power output — particularly at a time when the economy is under such intense pressure.
Of course, Japan has already survived peak summer and winter energy demand with little or no nuclear power online. And the economy continued to grow while the nation experienced no significant energy shortages.
But one year does not make a valid case study for those companies that live and die by a steady supply of power.
It is for this reason that Japan will slowly and cautiously begin to fire up its nuclear power capacity again.
But here’s the catch…
The industry and the government will be under such scrutiny this time around, safety — and more importantly, the diffusion of information about safety improvements — will be center stage.
And this is where we have an opportunity to make some money.
Just as Japan has doubled its efforts to integrate cheaper forms of solar power into its grid, the nation is quadrupling its efforts to integrate new safety mechanisms that will allow the nuclear power industry to once again grow — and to do so without the headwinds of public opposition.
Now, since the Fukushima crisis went down we’ve seen dozens of “new” technologies hit the news streams.
The problem is nearly all of these “new” technologies don’t actually exist yet — outside of theory.
And they’re certainly not ready to be integrated any time soon.
But there is one — an advanced nuclear fuel technology — that we believe is about to completely revitalize Japan’s nuclear power industry for one simple reason: This advanced nuclear fuel technology nearly eliminates any threat of meltdown.
My friends, if that ain’t a game-changer, I don’t know what is…
Needless to say, I’m putting together a report on this advanced nuclear fuel technology right now. It’ll be available exclusively to Energy and Capital readers in just three days.
To a new way of life and a new generation of wealth…
Jeff Siegel
Check us out on YouTube!
@JeffSiegel on Twitter
Jeff is the founder and managing editor of Green Chip Stocks. For more on Jeff, go to his editor’s page.
Want to hear more from Jeff? Sign up to receive emails directly from him ranging from market commentaries to opportunities that he has his eye on.
