Japan to tighten export standards for coal-fired power plants

TOKYO, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Japan plans to tighten its criteria of supporting exports of coal-fired power plants amid criticism that the practice is against international efforts to curb global warming, local media reported Thursday.

In the face of increasing global criticism, the Japanese government is taking a fresh look at its heavy dependence on coal-fired power generation.

Coal-fired power constitutes about a third of energy needs in the country where most nuclear power plants remain offline after the 2011 crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant.

Japan in recent years has been trying to seize the opportunity to export quality infrastructure to meet the burgeoning demand in emerging nations in Asian and beyond, setting a target of 30 trillion yen (280 billion U.S. dollars) worth of orders in 2020, according to local media reports.

"We've made big progress," Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said in a press conference after a meeting of a government panel on infrastructure exports.

In conventional practices, the Japanese government extends assistance for installation of power generation facilities based on a foreign country's request when it has no choice but to turn to coal as its energy source.

Through organizations such as the Japan Bank for International Cooperation and the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the country has been supporting projects of coal-fired power generation.

Energy-scarce Japan is the only country in the Group of Seven pushing coal-fired power plants, local media said.