The world's largest nuclear power plant has resumed operations in Japan for the first time since the catastrophic Fukushima meltdown in 2011, marking a significant milestone in the nation's energy strategy. The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa facility, located in north-central Japan, saw its No. 6 reactor begin the process of achieving criticality on Wednesday evening, a move delayed by one day due to a faulty alarm setting discovered over the weekend.
Operator Under Scrutiny: TEPCO's Role and Past Failures
This restart is particularly noteworthy because the plant is owned and operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO), the same utility responsible for the Fukushima Daiichi plant. TEPCO's safety culture was heavily criticised in government and independent investigations following the 2011 disaster, which involved a massive earthquake and tsunami leading to meltdowns and severe radioactive contamination. The company has spent over 1 trillion yen on safety upgrades at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, including reinforcing seawalls and installing filtered venting systems.
Public Anxiety and Evacuation Challenges
Local residents have expressed mixed feelings about the restart. While welcoming potential economic benefits, many worry about nuclear safety, especially given the plant's location in an earthquake-prone region. A major quake in the nearby Noto area two years ago damaged infrastructure, raising concerns that existing evacuation plans—which call for 18,600 people within a 5-kilometre radius to flee in case of a radiation leak—may be unworkable. Protests have occurred, with critics like Mie Kuwabara arguing that TEPCO provides insufficient information to the public.
Japan's Energy Policy Shift and Growing Demands
Japan has reversed its post-Fukushima nuclear phaseout policy, driven by the need for stable, affordable energy and rising fossil fuel costs due to global conflicts like Russia's war in Ukraine. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi aims to maximise nuclear energy use by restarting safe reactors, extending their lifespans, and building new units. The country plans to more than double nuclear power's share in its energy mix to 20% by 2040, partly to meet soaring electricity needs from AI data centres.
Safety Measures and Regulatory Hurdles
The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant has faced numerous challenges, including a 2007 earthquake that caused partial damage and led to distrust among locals. TEPCO installed a quake-resistant command centre in 2009, and the No. 6 reactor cleared safety tests in 2017. However, it faced an operational ban in 2021 over safeguarding issues before receiving approval in 2023. The restart comes amid revelations of seismic data falsification by another utility, which has shaken public confidence in nuclear regulation.
Technical Details and Future Steps
The No. 6 reactor, capable of generating 1.35 million kilowatts of electricity—enough to power over 1 million households in the Tokyo region—will undergo a temporary shutdown for inspection after reaching 50% capacity in about a week. Full commercial power generation is expected in late February. This restart is the first for a TEPCO-run unit since 2011, joining 14 other reactors that have resumed operations across Japan.
As Japan navigates its energy future, the restart of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant symbolises both the lessons learned from Fukushima and the ongoing tensions between safety concerns and economic necessities in a resource-poor nation.
