Power generation: Constraints, yet progress: Technology helps power engineers circumvent problems: Land availability and population density

Japan ranks third in the world in electric power consumption, following the U.S. and the Soviet Union, with projections showing an average increase of 6.8 percent a year (Table I). Some 24.5 percent of this power is generated by hydroelectric stations, with fossil-fuel and nuclear generating plants accounting for 68 and 7.5 percent respectively. Advanced technologies help the Japanese power industry cope with the severe constraints of limited land availability and high population density.