Transformation and Future Vision of the Electric Power Industry Looking Ahead to a World After the End of Carbon Neutrality Momentum — Part III
June 2026
Senior Expert
Shigeki Okuyama
In Part I, we presented the results of an estimate indicating that electricity demand in 2050 could reach 1.5 times the current level. In Part II, we focused on next-generation nuclear power as a key technology for providing the supply capacity needed to meet that demand, and examined the challenges involved in promoting it as well as possible solutions. In this final installment, we frame the coming era—when the wave of carbon neutrality (CN) investment has run its course and CN is no longer the top priority—as the "world after the end of CN momentum." We then identify the social demands the industry will face in that era and consider what kinds of strategies can spare the industry future rework.
A Return to the Minimization of Social Costs
BayCurrent believes that, in the world after the end of CN momentum, the most fundamental social demand facing the electric power industry will be the "minimization of social costs."
At present, efforts to achieve CN targets are being driven forcefully at the national level. Massive investments are being made in areas such as the expansion of renewable energy and storage batteries, the associated reinforcement of transmission facilities, and CO₂ capture technologies. These investments will ultimately impose costs on the public through mechanisms such as surcharges.
After this phase of CN investment has run its course…
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