TEPCO to Restart Nuclear Plant for First Time in 15 Years Since Fukushima Disaster

Unit 6 Reactor Scheduled for Restart on January 20 Next Year

Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the operator of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, is expected to restart a nuclear power plant for the first time in 15 years since the accident following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.

According to local media such as the Nihon Keizai Shimbun and public broadcaster NHK on December 22, TEPCO is coordinating plans to restart Unit 6 of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant (Kashiwazaki Nuclear Power Plant) in Niigata Prefecture, Japan, on January 20 next year. On the same day, the Niigata Prefectural Assembly passed a resolution by majority vote agreeing with Governor Hideyo Hanazumi's decision to allow the restart.

With the local approval process virtually completed, TEPCO plans to apply to the Nuclear Regulation Authority for equipment inspection confirmation in preparation for the restart of Unit 6 at the Kashiwazaki Nuclear Power Plant.

Located 220 kilometers northwest of Tokyo, the Kashiwazaki Nuclear Power Plant consists of seven reactors. With a total output of 8,212,000 kW, it is known as the largest single nuclear power plant in the world. The total site area is equivalent to about 90 Tokyo Domes, covering approximately 47,000 square meters.

This plant, along with all 54 reactors across Japan, was shut down immediately after the Fukushima Daiichi accident. Since then, due to worsening power shortages, the Japanese government has restarted 14 out of the 33 reactors that are currently operable.

This will be the first time a nuclear power plant operated by TEPCO is being restarted. This move is seen as a response to the recent surge in electricity demand, driven by the rapid increase in artificial intelligence (AI) data centers.