Japan Moves Forward With Restarting The World's Largest Nuclear Power Plant After The Fukushima Accident

Japan Moves Forward With Restarting The World’s Largest Nuclear Power Plant After The Fukushima Accident

Written by Sara Aquino

Published on 23/12/2025 at 07:15

Fonte: IA

1 person reacted to this.

Japan Advances In Restarting The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant, 15 Years After Fukushima, Amid Debates On Safety And Energy.

Fifteen years after the Fukushima accident, Japan is moving towards the restart of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, the largest in the world by installed capacity. The decision involves local authorities, national regulators, and the Tepco operator, as well as reigniting the debate over energy security in the country.

Recently, the Niigata prefectural assembly supported Governor Hideyo Hanazumi’s decision. Thus, the process gained political and institutional momentum, bringing the country closer to one of the most symbolic restarts since Fukushima.

Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant Back At The Center Of Decisions

Located in northern Japan, the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant features seven reactors and a total capacity of 8.2 gigawatts. With this volume, the plant can supply power to about seven million households.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

Seismic History Prompted Structural Reinforcements

Before Fukushima, the plant had already experienced shutdowns. In 2007, the Niigata-Chuetsu earthquake caused damage to the plant site.

As a result, Tepco strengthened the plant’s resistance to seismic shocks. Since then, technicians have improved structural systems and safety protocols, preparing the complex for a possible restart.

Tepco Prioritizes Units 6 And 7 Of The Nuclear Power Plant

While conducting the decontamination process at Fukushima Daiichi, Tepco is focusing its efforts on units 6 and 7 of Kashiwazaki-Kariwa. The company sees these units as the fastest path to a restart.

Each reactor uses Advanced Boiling Water Reactor technology, with a capacity of 1,356 megawatts electric. According to the company’s estimates, the return of operations could increase annual profits by about US$ 638 million.

Regulatory Approvals Accelerate The Process

The Japan Nuclear Regulation Authority approved the resumption of units 6 and 7 back in December 2017. However, Tepco needed the political and social approval from Niigata prefecture.

Now, with local approval, the company is moving towards the operational stage. In June, technicians completed the fuel loading of unit 6, reinforcing the restart schedule.

Unit 6 May Mark Tepco’s Return After Fukushima

Tepco has until September 2029 to implement all required anti-terrorism safety measures. Even so, local authorization allows unit 6 to operate until that deadline.

As a result, unit 6 may become Tepco’s first reactor to resume operations since the Fukushima accident, a historic milestone for the Japanese nuclear sector.

Government Bets On Information To Gain Public Support

Governor Hideyo Hanazumi acknowledges that the restart of the nuclear plant divides opinions in the prefecture. Still, he advocates transparency as the main tool to broaden public support.

“The way to handle the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant has long been a major issue for the people of Niigata prefecture.

Although opinions on the resumption of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant are currently divided among the public, we believe that by continuing to provide accurate information about nuclear generation and raising awareness about safety measures and disaster prevention, we can increase public understanding of the plant’s restart,” he said.

Younger Generations Show Greater Acceptance Of The Restart

According to the governor, recent surveys indicate that support grows as the population’s knowledge of nuclear safety increases. Additionally, the generational factor is noteworthy.

“Moreover, the survey revealed that people in their 20s and 30s tend to be more favorable to the plant’s restart than older generations,” he added.

This behavior suggests a gradual shift in the perception of nuclear energy in Japan.

Nuclear Energy Regains Ground In Japan

Before Fukushima, Japan’s 54 reactors accounted for about 30% of the country’s electricity. After the accident, the government shut down all units and reformulated safety regulations.

Currently, of the 33 reactors deemed operable, 14 have resumed functioning. Another 11 are still in the approval process.

Thus, the potential restart of Kashiwazaki-Kariwa reinforces the gradual return of nuclear energy. At the same time, Japan is trying to balance safety, electricity generation, and public trust after Fukushima.

0 Comments

most recent

older Most voted

Japan Moves Forward With Restarting The World’s Largest Nuclear Power Plant After The Fukushima Accident

Japan Advances In Restarting The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant, 15 Years After Fukushima, Amid Debates On Safety And Energy.

Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant Back At The Center Of Decisions

Seismic History Prompted Structural Reinforcements

Tepco Prioritizes Units 6 And 7 Of The Nuclear Power Plant

Regulatory Approvals Accelerate The Process

Unit 6 May Mark Tepco’s Return After Fukushima

Government Bets On Information To Gain Public Support

Younger Generations Show Greater Acceptance Of The Restart

Nuclear Energy Regains Ground In Japan

Mother and daughter build a 70 m² house with more than 8,000 discarded glass bottles and impress with their creativity; known as the Casa de Sal, the property is located on Itamaracá Island, in Pernambuco.

Workers were opening a new road connection near the Marginal Tietê when they found, in the underground of the construction site, remnants of locomotives, wagons, and boilers from the 19th century linked to the forgotten history of Lapa.

Instead of burning or burying old tires, an American city is transforming about 2,000 of them into the street itself, paving its first sections with a quieter and more durable rubber asphalt.

China transforms desert-devastated area into the world’s largest artificial forest, planting trees for 60 years, blocking sand that reached Beijing, and creating a “green lung” of 92,000 hectares in a region once considered lost.

Greek island offers free housing for volunteers, but there’s a condition: you need to take care of rescued cats.

Engineers want to carve through Africa with a giant canal to bring water from the world’s second-largest river to a dying lake on the edge of the Sahara Desert that has already lost 90% of its water.

China has deployed snake-shaped robots to slide along power lines, where they have already inspected over 130 kilometers of cables using cameras and sensors to detect damaged wires, worn-out parts, and overheating.

Without mortar, without water, and without mess: young people create a dry flooring system that fits ceramic tiles like a puzzle, reduces construction time, and promises to revolutionize the way floors are installed in civil construction.

A rare gas cuts through the hot springs in Zambia and reveals a deep fault that may penetrate the crust down to the Earth’s mantle.

Paper money is disappearing from Brazilians’ pockets, with the issuance of new banknotes dropping by 31% from 2020 to 2025, amid the explosion of Pix, which became the most frequent payment method for 46% of the population, while cash plummeted from 42% to 22%.

Ports without drivers and cabins already move containers like automated factories: robotic cranes, autonomous electric vehicles, and software transform giant terminals into 24-hour logistics machines.

They built an entire village of houses with their own hands made of earth and old tires, in the ecovillage Aardehuis, in the Netherlands, where 44 residents live in Earthships that generate almost all the energy, heat with the sun, and treat sewage in their own garden.

Japan Moves Forward With Restarting The World’s Largest Nuclear Power Plant After The Fukushima Accident

Japan Advances In Restarting The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant, 15 Years After Fukushima, Amid Debates On Safety And Energy.

Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant Back At The Center Of Decisions

Seismic History Prompted Structural Reinforcements

Tepco Prioritizes Units 6 And 7 Of The Nuclear Power Plant

Regulatory Approvals Accelerate The Process

Unit 6 May Mark Tepco’s Return After Fukushima

Government Bets On Information To Gain Public Support

Younger Generations Show Greater Acceptance Of The Restart

Nuclear Energy Regains Ground In Japan

Mother and daughter build a 70 m² house with more than 8,000 discarded glass bottles and impress with their creativity; known as the Casa de Sal, the property is located on Itamaracá Island, in Pernambuco.

Workers were opening a new road connection near the Marginal Tietê when they found, in the underground of the construction site, remnants of locomotives, wagons, and boilers from the 19th century linked to the forgotten history of Lapa.

Instead of burning or burying old tires, an American city is transforming about 2,000 of them into the street itself, paving its first sections with a quieter and more durable rubber asphalt.

China transforms desert-devastated area into the world’s largest artificial forest, planting trees for 60 years, blocking sand that reached Beijing, and creating a “green lung” of 92,000 hectares in a region once considered lost.

Greek island offers free housing for volunteers, but there’s a condition: you need to take care of rescued cats.

Engineers want to carve through Africa with a giant canal to bring water from the world’s second-largest river to a dying lake on the edge of the Sahara Desert that has already lost 90% of its water.

China has deployed snake-shaped robots to slide along power lines, where they have already inspected over 130 kilometers of cables using cameras and sensors to detect damaged wires, worn-out parts, and overheating.

American company drills a 1,830-meter hole in Kansas using oil well technology, places a nuclear reactor inside, and claims it will generate electricity without any cooling tower.

Canada invests more than 2 billion dollars to upgrade an old nuclear laboratory and try to rival the world’s major atomic energy powers.

Nuclear company backed by Bill Gates partners with Hyundai for next-generation 345 MW nuclear reactor

Russia is sailing all 8 nuclear icebreakers of its fleet simultaneously for the first time in history, as the Arctic freezes two weeks earlier than expected.

With 39 years of halted construction and R$1 billion draining annually without generating a single watt, Angra 3 has become a ticking time bomb for Eletronuclear — while China put 20 new reactors into operation in the same period.

Without mortar, without water, and without mess: young people create a dry flooring system that fits ceramic tiles like a puzzle, reduces construction time, and promises to revolutionize the way floors are installed in civil construction.

A rare gas cuts through the hot springs in Zambia and reveals a deep fault that may penetrate the crust down to the Earth’s mantle.

Paper money is disappearing from Brazilians’ pockets, with the issuance of new banknotes dropping by 31% from 2020 to 2025, amid the explosion of Pix, which became the most frequent payment method for 46% of the population, while cash plummeted from 42% to 22%.

Ports without drivers and cabins already move containers like automated factories: robotic cranes, autonomous electric vehicles, and software transform giant terminals into 24-hour logistics machines.

They built an entire village of houses with their own hands made of earth and old tires, in the ecovillage Aardehuis, in the Netherlands, where 44 residents live in Earthships that generate almost all the energy, heat with the sun, and treat sewage in their own garden.