My apologies to Peter Matanle et al. for not replying yet to their thoughtful emails and kind words. I am trying to meet a publication deadline, but I would like very much to respond to their comments next week.

In the meantime, on the subject of geothermal power development and electric power restructuring, SSJ-Forum readers might be interested in the following energy-related panel at a Tokyo-based conference entitled "Energy and the Environment: Working Toward a Secure Energy Future in a Carbon-Constrained World."

I was asked to be the moderator at the APCAC 2012 U.S.-Asia Business Summit on 2 March 2012.

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/20820336

The panelists were:

Mr. Rob Gardner, Manager, Energy and Economics Division, Corporate Strategic Planning, Exxon Mobil Corporation Mr. Nobuo Tanaka, Global Associate for Energy, Security and Sustainability, Institute of Energy Economics, Japan, and former Executive Director, International Energy Agency Dr. Eugene Yun, Co-founder and Managing Partner, Eos Investment Partners

Just before our panel session began, Prime Minister Noda addressed the conference from the same podium.
However, he barely touched the subject of Japan's energy policy, let alone geothermal power development.

Our panelists touched on the subject of geothermal power and vertical ownership unbundling (see link) at one point. Mr. Tanaka's opinion of geothermal power is similar to mine, and favors its long-term development as a base-load energy source in Japan. Rob Gardner, perhaps not surprisingly, is not too optimistic on that front anywhere in Asia for relative cost reasons more than for its technical dispatch problems. Dr. Yun advocates increased investment and development of all new renewable energy sources (not just geothermal
power) as a long-term goal, but acknowledges the short- to medium-term realities in using new renewables to replace nuclear power in Japan and the rest of Asia; It is simply not realistic, in his view, nor should anyone pretend that it is.

All panelists agree that each country's unique market structure and topography prevents us from making
blanket statements about an "optimal energy mix".

Best regards,

Paul J. Scalise, Ph.D.
JSPS Research Fellow
Institute of Social Science
The University of Tokyo