Overview
- The company suspended procedures after a safety alarm failed to sound during tests, delaying the planned January 20 restart of Unit 6.
- Verification tests are expected to take another one to two days, after which TEPCO will consult Japan’s nuclear regulator on a new restart date.
- Reports differ on timing, with NHK indicating a restart could come within days while other coverage describes a more cautious pause.
- Unit 6 is a 1.36 gigawatt reactor at the 8.2 gigawatt Kashiwazaki-Kariwa complex, and TEPCO had planned to begin commercial operations on February 26.
- The move is closely watched as TEPCO’s first potential reactor restart since Fukushima, as regulators intensify scrutiny following issues at Chubu Electric and the paused Hamaoka review.