Japan restarts the world’s largest nuclear power plant

Reactor No. 6 has a capacity of 1.36 GW, one of 7 reactors at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa. This is the world’s largest nuclear power plant with the ability to produce 8.2 GW of electricity when fully operational, able to provide electricity to millions of households. The factory, located in Niigata Prefecture, stopped operating after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in March 2011. The disaster had serious consequences, leading to protests and anxiety, forcing Japan to close all nuclear reactors nationwide.

However, large-scale shutdowns put heavy pressure on Japan’s energy supplies. The “revival” of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant after 15 years marked a major turning point, showing that Japan seems ready to return to nuclear power. This is considered useful in the context that they want to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, achieve the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050 and meet the increasing energy demand from AI.

This is the second restart with Kashiwazaki-Kariwa after the previous attempt had to be stopped due to problems. Initially, Tepco started reactor No. 6 on January 21, but had to shut it down the next day because the monitoring system sent an alarm signal.

In a press conference last week, Tepco said that the alarm system detected small changes in current in a cable, even though it was still within the safety threshold. The company has adjusted the system’s settings, asserting that the reactor is now safe to operate. Commercial operations are expected to begin on March 18, after another comprehensive inspection.

14 reactors, most of them in western and southern Japan, have “revived” after being shut down due to the Fukushima disaster. Kashiwazaki-Kariwa is the first plant to be recommissioned by Tepco, which is also in charge of the Fukushima Daiichi plant. The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant is now equipped with a 15-meter-high seawall, an advanced backup power system and many other safety upgrades.

However, people in the surrounding area do not completely agree. According to a survey conducted by Niigata Prefecture last September, only 37% of residents supported it, while 60% opposed it, expressing concern about the risk of serious incidents. However, Tepco affirmed on February 9 that it “will continue to demonstrate its commitment to putting safety first at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant through actions and results”.