Overview
- Governor Hideyo Hanazumi said he will approve restarting the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant, with operation still contingent on the Nuclear Regulation Authority.
- TEPCO plans a phased restart of reactors 6 and 7 totaling 2,710 megawatts after the site’s shutdown following the 2011 Fukushima disaster.
- The operator has pledged 100 billion yen to local communities to foster support, though opposition from some residents continues.
- Analysts estimate that bringing reactor 6 back early next year could cut Japan’s LNG demand by about one million tonnes, and TEPCO projects roughly 100 billion yen in annual profit per restarted unit.
- Safety upgrades at the coastal complex include a 15-meter tsunami barrier, and Kashiwazaki-Kariwa would be TEPCO’s first plant to resume operations since Fukushima.