Disabled since the Fukushima disaster, local authorities have given the green light to restart Kashiwazaki-Kariwa. The vote took place amid protests from residents. Japan has taken a final step to allow the world’s largest nuclear power plant to resume operations, almost 15 years after the Fukushima disaster, following approval from local authorities.
The Niigata Prefectural Legislative Assembly on Monday (12/22) approved a decision by Governor Hideyo Hanazumi, announced last month, which authorizes the resumption of operations at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant.
Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, located about 220 kilometers northwest of Tokyo, was among 54 reactors shut down after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that shut down the Fukushima nuclear plant, the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.
Since then, Japan has restarted 14 of the country’s 33 reactors that remain operationally viable, aiming to reduce its dependence on imported fossil fuels, achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and meet the growing energy needs of artificial intelligence.
First Tepco factory to be reactivated
Kashiwazaki-Kariwa will be the first nuclear power plant operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) to resume operations since the Fukushima disaster. Tepco was the operator of the plant damaged by a tsunami.
Despite widespread public opposition, Japan’s nuclear regulator declared the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa 6 and 7 reactors safe in 2017, saying they met tougher safety standards introduced after Fukushima.
With approval now granted, local media reported that Unit 6 is expected to restart as early as next month.
Tepco has long sought permission to reactivate its nuclear reactors to reduce the high costs of importing fuel for thermal power generation.
The recovery divides the population
Although lawmakers voted in favor of Hanazumi, the assembly session, the last of the year, exposed community divisions over resuming operations despite job creation and the possibility of lower electricity bills.
“This is nothing more than a political agreement that does not take into account the will of the people of Niigata,” said a lawmaker opposed to the resumption of operations, as the vote was about to begin.
Outside, about 300 demonstrators held cold banners reading “No to nuclear weapons,” “We oppose the resumption of Kashiwazaki-Kariwa operations” and “Support Fukushima.”
“I’m really furious,” Kenichiro Ishiyama, a 77-year-old protester from the city of Niigata, told Reuters after the vote. “If something happens to the factory, we will be the ones to suffer the consequences.”
According to a survey published by the local administration in October, 60% of residents in the region believe that the conditions for a recovery are not met. Nearly 70% fear that Tepco will become the operator of the factory.
md/cn(dpa, Reuters, AFP)
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