Japan took the final step, through a regional vote this Monday (22), to allow the world’s largest nuclear power plant to resume operations, at a decisive moment in the country’s return to nuclear energy, almost 15 years after the Fukushima disaster.
The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa industrial complex, located about 140 miles (220 km) northwest of Tokyo, was among 54 reactors shut down after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that devastated the Fukushima Daiichi plant in the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.
Japan has since restarted 14 of the 33 plants still operational, in a bid to reduce its dependence on imported fossil fuels. Kashiwazaki-Kariwa will be the first operated by Tepco (Tokyo Electric Power Co), which operated the condemned Fukushima power plant.
On Monday, the Niigata Prefectural Assembly approved a vote of confidence in Niigata Governor Hideyo Hanazumi, who supported the resumption of operations last month, allowing the factory to resume operations.
“It’s an important step, but it’s not the end,” Hanazumi said after the vote. “There is no end in sight when it comes to keeping Niigata residents safe.”
Although lawmakers voted in favor of Hanazumi, the assembly session, the last of the year, exposed community divisions over resuming business despite job creation and the possibility of lower electricity bills.
One of the deal’s opponents said the factory takeover did not take into account the wishes of Niigata residents, as voting was about to begin.
Outside, about 300 demonstrators held cold banners reading “No to nuclear weapons,” “We oppose the resumption of operations at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa” and “Support Fukushima.”
“I am really furious, from the bottom of my heart,” Kenichiro Ishiyama, 77, said after the vote in Niigata. “If something happens to the factory, we will be the ones to suffer the consequences,” he lamented.
Tepco plans to reactivate the first of the plant’s seven reactors on January 20, public broadcaster NHK reported.
The total capacity of Kashiwazaki-Kariwa is 8.2 GW, enough to power a few million homes. The recovery, expected soon, would allow a 1.36 GW unit to be put into service next year and another of the same capacity around 2030.
“We remain firmly committed to never repeating an accident like this and ensuring that the people of Niigata never experience anything similar,” said Masakatsu Takata, a Tepco spokesman.
Tepco shares closed up 2% on Monday on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, outperforming the Nikkei index, up 1.8%.
RESIDENTS ARE HELECTIVE
Earlier this year, Tepco promised to invest 100 billion yen (3.52 billion reais) in the city hall over the next ten years, seeking to win the support of Niigata residents.
But a survey published by the town hall in October revealed that 60% of residents did not think that the conditions for resuming activities were met. Nearly 70% of respondents were concerned about Tepco operating the plant.
Ayako Oga, 52, settled in Niigata after fleeing the area around the Fukushima plant in 2011, along with 160,000 other people evacuated from the area. His former home was within the 20 km irradiated exclusion zone.
“We personally know the risk of a nuclear accident and we cannot ignore it,” Oga commented, adding that he still suffers from symptoms similar to post-traumatic stress from what happened at Fukushima.
Even Niigata Governor Hanazumi hopes that Japan will one day reduce its dependence on nuclear power. “I want to see an era where we no longer need to rely on anxiety-inducing energy sources,” he said last month.
About The Author
