TEPCO restarts Japan's Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear reactor
The site was previously shut down following the Fukushima meltdown.
Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Station Unit 6 Fine Motion Control Rod Drive Motor
© TEPCOTokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (Tepco) has restarted the No. 6 reactor at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant in Niigata Prefecturere.
The unit’s power output will be gradually increased, with a goal of entering commercial operations during mid-March.
This follows a delay where TEPCO was initially aiming for the end of February. The reactor was initially restarted on 21 January, but a monitoring failure halted the process.
Kashiwazaki-Kariwa is being bought back online as the Japanese government looks to reembrace atomic energy in an effort to curb carbon emissions, cut fuel imports and enhance energy security.
Kashiwazaki Kariwa is TEPCO’s only remaining operable nuclear facility and Reactor No. 6 is one of seven reactors at the site. The No. 7 reactor has also received approval from the nation’s nuclear regulator to come back online.
Thirteen reactors across the country were running as of mid-January.
This restart has faced opposition from Friends of the Earth Japan, the Citizens' Association for Nuclear Regulation, and the Niigata Association. The groups say that monitoring issues have not been fully investigated and resolved.
