Overview
- Governor Hideyo Hanazumi said he will decide "soon" and, according to multiple Japanese media reports, could announce approval as early as Friday.
- An endorsement would remove a key hurdle, with formal local consent hinging on a prefectural assembly vote on a supplementary budget when it meets on Dec 2.
- TEPCO plans to bring Units 6 and 7 back online at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa complex, which together can generate 2,710 megawatts within an 8,212-megawatt site.
- TEPCO said in October it completed checks after fuel loading at Unit 6 and confirmed the main systems required for startup were operating properly.
- A roughly ¥100 billion TEPCO package for Niigata has drawn criticism from some residents even as the central government supports restarts to strengthen energy security and cut LNG costs.