The Japanese governor overseeing the region that hosts the world’s largest nuclear power plant is expected to grant approval this week for its restart.
The move will clear one of the remaining milestones for Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) to bring the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant back online, more than a decade after the Fukushima nuclear disaster prompted its shutdown.
Niigata Prefecture Governor Hideyo Hanazumi is set to announce approval for the partial resumption of operations at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa as early as Friday, Kyodo News reported, citing multiple unnamed prefectural government sources.
TEPCO plans to reactivate the plant’s two largest reactors, Units 6 and 7, which together can produce 2,710 megawatts of electricity, while possibly decommissioning some of the remaining five units. The plant’s total capacity is 8,212 MW.
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In October, TEPCO completed checks at Reactor 6 after fuel loading, confirming that the main systems required for startup were functioning properly.
The company has also pledged 100 billion yen ($644 million) to support local communities, seeking to gain long-standing approval for the restart despite some local opposition.
If approved, the restart would align with new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s plans to encourage more nuclear restarts to strengthen Japan’s energy security.
Partial restoration of Kashiwazaki-Kariwa is also expected to reduce Japan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) import costs, as the country is the world’s second-largest LNG buyer after China. The government has prioritised curbing the cost of living for households.
As of the end of October, Japan had restarted 11 reactors with a combined capacity of 10,647 MW. Before the Fukushima disaster in 2011, the country operated 54 reactors in total.
TEPCO continues to pay substantial compensation following the Fukushima meltdown.
