Japan Restarts World’s Largest Nuclear Plant 15 Years Later
Synopsis
Japan is to reopen the world’s biggest nuclear power plant when Niigata holds a vote on Monday to turn the power back on after nearly 15 years since the world’s attention focused on the devastating effects of Fukushima.’ The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa power plant will be the first one to be managed by TEPCO, which owns the ruined plant at Fukushima. There were about 300 people outside the assembly protesting. Only 60 per cent of people polled believed that conditions for restarting power production had been met. A promise of 100 billion yen in 10 years was made to the prefecture by TEPCO. The aim is to increase power production to 20 per cent by 2040.
Japan is about to move the final leg to restart the world's largest nuclear power plant, as the region of Niigata is to hold a vote to turn it back on. This has been a big moment in the comeback of nuclear power in the country after close to 15 years since the Fukushima disaster.
One of the 54 Japanese nuclear reactors that were all shut down after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that led to the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear station which was the second-worst nuclear accident after Chernobyl, some 220 km northwest of Tokyo, is this one.
Reports say that the government has put back into operation the 14 units, which are capable of functioning, out of the total 33 units that had been shut down. The Tokyo Electric Power Company will be the operator of the Kashiwazaki, Kariwa nuclear power station, a company that is also the owner of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station, which was damaged.
Protesters Surround Assembly Building
Approximately 300 demonstrators, comprising senior citizens, carrying signs that said 'No Nukes', 'We are opposed to the reactivation of Kashiwazaki Kariwa', and 'We Support Fukushima' lined up in front of the Niigata prefecture assembly building on a cool and grey Monday. The Niigata legislators are slated to announce their verdict later that day.
TEPCO is considering the restart of the first of seven reactors planned for the power station on January 20 if the government gives the green light, according to the NHK network. TEPCO spokesman Masakatsu Takata said the company is "firmly committed to never repeating such an accident and ensuring Niigata residents never experience something similar."
Many Locals Are Still Concerned About Security
TEPCO said earlier this year that it would invest 100 billion yen over the next 10 years to win the support of people in the prefecture. This has not eased the concerns of the people.
In October, a survey conducted by the prefecture found that 60 per cent of the population did not feel that the conditions for a restart had been satisfied. Almost 70 per cent of residents also worried about TEPCO's management of the nuclear station.
Ayako Oga, aged 52, moved to Niigata after evacuating from around the Fukushima nuclear plant in 2011, along with another 160,000 people in Japan’s biggest displacement since World War Two. Oga’s hometown was in the 20-kilometre irradiated zone around Fukushima. A farmer and nuclear critic, she has now joined protests for what she regards as a menace on her own doorstep.
The Vote Represents the Final Hurdle
A vote of confidence will be held by the prefecture assembly regarding Hanazumi, which is little more than a vote of confidence in restarting, and is thought to be the last barrier to TEPCO restarting the first reactor, which could increase power output in the Tokyo region by 2 per cent on its own.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who assumed office two months ago, has supported the restarts to enhance energy security, as well as mitigate the price of importing fuels, which currently constitute 60 per cent to 70 per cent of the country’s power supply.
Last year, Japan spent 10.7 trillion yen importing liquefied gas and coal from overseas, which is one-tenth of what it spent on imports in total. In contrast, Japan is expected to see a rise in energy demand in the next decade, thanks to a boom in AI data centres that consume massive amounts of energy despite Japan’s reduced population.
To meet such demands and its commitment to reduce its carbon emissions, it has outlined that it intends to double the proportion of nuclear energy it generates for use as electricity to 20 per cent by 2040.
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