Japan Restarts Reactor at the World’s Largest Nuclear Power Plant
A reactor at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power station, located in western Japan, was restarted on Monday after an initial attempt in January was aborted due to a malfunction in the alarm system, according to Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO).
The company stated in a press release that Reactor No. 6 was brought back online at 2:00 PM local time after the control rods were removed, and that commercial operations at the plant are set to begin on March 18 or later, following a thorough inspection.
The reactor had previously been restarted on January 21 but was shut down again after an alarm sounded from the monitoring system. Last week, the plant manager, Takeyuki Inagaki, confirmed that the alarm settings had been adjusted to ensure safe operation of the reactor.
The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa station is the largest nuclear power plant in the world by output, although the current restart involves only one of its seven reactors. The plant has been offline since the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that led to the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
Japan is seeking to revive its nuclear energy sector to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels, achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, and meet the growing electricity demand due to the expanded use of artificial intelligence.
A survey conducted by Niigata Prefecture in September indicates a split in local public opinion regarding the restart, with about 60% opposing it and 37% in favor.
