Overview
- Tokyo Electric Power said it will remove control rods after 7pm local time on Jan 21 to start up one unit at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa complex in Niigata.
- Wednesday’s green light follows prior approvals from the Nuclear Regulation Authority and Niigata’s governor, marking TEPCO’s first reactor restart since 2011.
- Only one of the site’s seven reactors is restarting, with TEPCO planning to ramp output to about 50% within a week and aiming for commercial operation in late February pending clearance.
- Residents remain divided, with a September survey showing about 60% opposed, recent protests at the plant, and a petition of nearly 40,000 signatures citing seismic risks.
- TEPCO highlights safety upgrades including a 15-metre tsunami wall and elevated backup power, while scrutiny has intensified after Chubu Electric’s seismic data falsification and a local alarm test failure.