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The Niigata prefecture parliament today voted to restart Japan’s largest nuclear power plant, Kashiwasaki-Kariwa, fourteen years after the Fukushima nuclear disaster that saw the country shut down 54 reactors.
The regional vote is the latest step in a long process to revive nuclear energy in resource-poor Japan to reduce its dependence on energy imports, despite public opposition in the Niigata prefecture. The plant will be operated by Tokyo Electric Power Co., which was also the operator of the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
Before the Fukushima meltdown in 2011, nuclear energy accounted for about 30% of Japan’s electricity mix. The disaster prompted the closure of all reactors for safety checks. Since 2015, Japan has restarted 14 reactors out of 33 that are still operational, while 11 others are currently in the process of restart approval.
In October, TEPCO said that it carried out a full round of integrity checks at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa after fuel loading of Unit 6 was completed, confirming that primary facilities can sufficiently perform the functions required for reactor startup. Local opposition to the restart appears to be related to misgivings about Tepco’s ability to run the facility safely, even though the Fukushima disaster was the result of a tsunami rather than human error.
The governor of the Niigata prefecture signaled his support for the restart of the nuclear power plant in November, echoing similar support from Japan’s newly elected Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi.
As part of its decarbonization plans, Japan has made a U-turn in nuclear energy policy and plans to rely more on nuclear reactors for its power supply in the coming decades. The country looks to have 20% of its electricity supply coming from nuclear power by 2040, up from below 10% now.
Energy imports currently account for between 60% and 70% of Japan’s power generation—a level that is too high for comfort and that played a big part in the government’s decision to boost nuclear energy.
