Japan reactivates the largest nuclear power plant in the world amid criticism: what the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant is like

The restart of functions was originally scheduled for Tuesday the 20th, but another malfunction in the alert system led to the reactivation being postponed to Wednesday the 21st.

The Japanese government had authorized the reactivation of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant as part of its new energy policy and the process was going to begin with the switching on of unit 6. It was also planned that reactor 7 of the plant would return to operation in the short term.

Huge source of energy

Kashiwazaki-Kariwa It is the largest nuclear power plant in the world if its maximum production capacity is considered, which implies that the seven reactors it has are in operation. This represents a potential energy generation that would reach 8,200 megawatts.

The plant extends over 4.2 square kilometers along a coastal region and is located between the towns that give it its name, Kashiwazaki and Kariwa, located in the Japanese prefecture of Niigata.

The construction of the complex began in June 1980 and was completed five years later, coming into operation on September 18, 1985, with the great novelty being the first plant in the world to use advanced boiling water nuclear reactors.

Reactors 6 and 7 employed this technology, having a capacity of 1,356 megawatts, while units 1 to 5 were simple boiling water reactors, less technologically developed.

The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa power plant faced the Chuestsu earthquake in 2007, which had its epicenter just 19 km away. The possibility that such a close earthquake could have affected the plant beyond the resistance with which it was designed led to it closing its operations for 21 months, during which extensive safety reviews and improvements were made in this section.

In May 2009, the plant began a progressive reopening with the ignition of reactor 7, and units 1, 5 and 7 were subsequently reactivated; However, the arrival of the 2011 earthquake – which caused the Fukushima nuclear disaster – led to the suspension of all activity without reactors 2, 3 and 4 returning to service.

Upon its return to operations, Kashiwazaki-Kariwa has implemented new security measures to comply with current regulations. This includes a 15-meter anti-tsunami wall, armored buildings and the relocation of critical systems to higher platforms. Likewise, the anti-seismic systems had an update to the reforms that had already been made after the Chuestsu earthquake.

Added to the above are ventilation systems with filters, mobile refrigeration units and new emergency water reservoirs. Other improvements include counterterrorism and physical security measures such as enhanced surveillance systems and the creation of an armored command center.

This last point corrected the observations made in a 2017 review, which indicated that there were not enough measures against attacks, preventing the reactivation of the plant during that year. It was not until 2023 that TEPCO received permission from the authorities to return reactors 6 and 7 to operation.

NUCLEAR BLACKOUT

The nuclear disaster at the Fukushima-Daiichi plant led to the fact that by 2012 Japan did not have any reactor in operation due to the mistrust caused by the accident that occurred a year earlier. In total, 54 nuclear units were deactivated.

This total nuclear blackout lasted for nearly three years, with a brief interruption between 2012 and 2013, when some reactors were reactivated to avoid power outages in the summer season; However, after this the plants remained closed until 2015.

It was in this last year that a slow and progressive reactivation of the nuclear power plants began with the partial restart of functions at the Sendai plant. From then on, some atomic plants were activated, although under the new and strict safety parameters that were established after the Fukushima earthquake and tsunami.

ECONOMIC DISASTER

The nuclear blackout generated a huge energy shortage that had to be covered by a massive import of other sources such as gas and coal, which led to a substantial increase in the cost of electricity and led to a historic trade deficit.

The acquisitions of additional fuel represented an annual expense that ranged between 30,000 million and 40,000 million dollars a year, according to estimates by the Institute of Energy Economics of Japan. The Japanese Ministry of Finance indicated in 2014 that it had a trade deficit of 116 billion dollars and the Asian country’s energy dependence went from 60% to 90%.

TEPCO, whose majority shareholder is the Japanese State, had massive losses and to this was added that the cleanup, compensation and dismantling expenses caused by the Fukushima accident had a cost of approximately US$200 billion.

NEW ENERGY POLICY

The coming to power of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi represented a radical change in orientation with respect to the use of nuclear energy, considered by the head of government as a fundamental axis for the country’s energy independence. In this context, the reactivation of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant is considered a national priority.

Takaichi has been accused of putting pressure on Hideyo Hanazumi, governor of Niigata, and the Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NRA) to allow the reactivation of the aforementioned plant.

The Takaichi administration plans to extend the useful life of nuclear reactors to 60 years, which will be accompanied by the development of plants with greater technology and investment. The Japanese government expects that by 2030, 20% of the electricity in its territory will come from nuclear power plants.

Japanese authorities argue that the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa 6 reactor will allow Tokyo, a city with 37 million inhabitants, to operate with less critical energy margins and will save the State from importing almost one million tons of liquefied natural gas annually.

The reactivation of the large nuclear plant has generated rejection from the local population who have been protesting against the measure. According to a survey carried out by the Niigata authorities, 60% of the prefecture’s inhabitants oppose the restart of operations of the plant, while 37% are in favor.

“Tokyo’s electricity is produced in Kashiwazaki, and only the residents here should be in danger? It doesn’t make any sense,” a resident of the town recently told the AFP agency.

The return of several nuclear power plants is viewed with fear by public opinion, as previous cases have been viewed with suspicion. One of them is that of the Hamaoka plant, with critical voices accusing the company it manages, Chubu Electric Power, of presenting information that wrongly supports the establishment’s ability to resist earthquakes.

At the moment, Japan It has 15 operational nuclear reactors, including the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa one. The Takahama plant has the most units in operation, with four operational reactors.

After the Fukushima incidents, 27 reactors were permanently closed and currently there are another 18 that are pending receipt of reactivation permits or determination of their dismantling.