Japanese authorities have approved a decision to restart the world’s largest nuclear power plant, which has been idle for more than a decade after the Fukushima nuclear disaster, at a crucial time as the country seeks to shift its energy supply away from fossil fuels.
Despite the concerns of many local residents, the Niigata Prefectural Assembly, where the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant is located, passed a bill on Monday that would pave the way for power company Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) to restart one of the plant’s seven reactors.
Japan’s public broadcaster NHK reported that the company plans to bring reactor No. 6 back into operation around January 20.
Japan has taken a cautious stance toward nuclear energy since a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami caused a meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in 2011. This was the world’s worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986.
After the disaster, Japan shut down all 54 of its nuclear power plants, including the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, located in the coastal and port area of Niigata Prefecture, about 320 kilometers (200 miles) north of Tokyo on Honshu.
Japan has since restarted 14 of its 33 operational reactors, according to the World Nuclear Association.
The Niigata nuclear power plant will be the first to be restarted under the management of Tokyo Electric Power Company, which operated the Fukushima Daiichi power plant. The government is seeking to reassure residents that the restart plan is safe.
“We are committed to never repeating an accident like this again, and to ensuring that the people of Niigata Prefecture will never have a similar experience,” TEPCO spokesman Masakatsu Takada said, Reuters reported.
Before the Fukushima accident, Japan’s nuclear reactors provided about 30% of the country’s electricity. Since then, Japan has increasingly relied on expensive imported fossil fuels such as coal and gas to provide electricity and keep the lights on.
Approximately 60-70% of Japan’s electricity generation comes from imported fossil fuels, costing about 10.7 trillion yen ($68 billion) last year alone.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who took office two months ago, is a strong proponent of nuclear power, pushing to cut costs and revive a crippled industry to combat inflation and economic stagnation.
According to the International Energy Agency, Japan is the fifth largest emitter of carbon dioxide in the world after China, the United States, India and Russia. But the company has pledged to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, and renewables are at the heart of its latest energy plan, announced earlier this year, pushing for greater investment in solar and wind.
The country’s energy demand is also expected to increase in the coming years due to a boom in data centers powering AI infrastructure.
To meet its energy and climate goals, Japan aims to double the share of nuclear power in its electricity mix to 20% by 2040.
However, the memory of the Fukushima nuclear disaster remains, and some local residents are cautious about restarting nuclear power generation due to safety concerns.
“We know firsthand the risk of a nuclear accident and we cannot ignore it,” Ayako Oga, 52, told Reuters. Oga fled the Fukushima accident and settled in Niigata. She told the news agency that her previous home was in a restricted area and that she still suffers from post-traumatic stress-like symptoms.
A survey released by Niigata Prefecture in October found that 60% of prefectural residents believe the conditions for restarting operations are not in place. According to Reuters, nearly 70% of respondents are concerned about Tokyo Electric Power’s nuclear power plant operation.
TEPCO said on its website that Kashiwazaki-Kariwa had undergone multiple inspections and renovations, and that the company had learned “the lessons of Fukushima.”
The company said new sea walls and watertight doors will provide “stronger protection against tsunamis” and mobile generators and more fire engines will be on standby for “cooling support” in case of an emergency. It also said the plant now has an “improved filtration system designed to control the spread of radioactive materials.”
In late October, TEPCO conducted “all stages of integrity testing” on Unit 6 and declared the reactor suitable for startup.
