In a surprising turn of events, the restart of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, the world’s largest nuclear facility, has been suspended just a day after it went back online in Japan. The operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco), has admitted that it is uncertain when the issue that triggered an alarm during the reactor startup procedure will be resolved.
The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant, located in Niigata province, had been shuttered since the 2011 Fukushima disaster. However, operations to relaunch the facility began on Wednesday after it received the final approval from the nuclear regulator. Takeyuki Inagaki, the site superintendent, told a news conference that “we don’t expect this to be solved within a day or two. There is no telling at the moment how long it will take.”
Tepco spokesperson Takashi Kobayashi explained that “once it became clear that it would take time, we decided to reinsert the control rods in a planned manner,” assuring that the reactor is “stable and there is no radioactive impact outside.”
The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant is the world’s largest nuclear power plant by potential capacity, although only one reactor out of seven was restarted. The facility was taken offline in 2011 when Japan halted its nuclear power program following the Fukushima meltdown.
However, Japan, a resource-poor nation, now aims to revive its nuclear energy sector to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, and meet growing energy demands from the rise of artificial intelligence.
Kashiwazaki-Kariwa is the first Tepco-run unit to restart since 2011. The company also operates the Fukushima Daiichi plant, which is currently undergoing decommissioning.
Public opinion in Niigata remains deeply divided, with around 60% of residents opposing the restart, while 37% support it, according to a survey conducted in September. Earlier this month, seven groups opposing the restart submitted a petition signed by nearly 40,000 people to Tepco and Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority, citing concerns about the plant’s location on an active seismic fault zone and the damage it sustained from a strong earthquake in 2007.
As Japan navigates the complex path of balancing its energy needs with public safety concerns, the suspension of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant’s restart serves as a stark reminder of the challenges that the country’s nuclear industry continues to face.
