Niigata Gov. Hideyo Hanazumi on Friday agreed to the restart of a nuclear reactor at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa power plant, the first for its operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. since the 2011 Fukushima accident, one of the world’s worst nuclear crises.
Hanazumi made the decision even as he acknowledged that residents of the Sea of Japan coast prefecture are “deeply divided”
over resuming the No. 6 reactor at the seven-unit complex, with concerns persisting over TEPCO’s management after repeated security lapses were found at the plant.
The governor’s approval is essential for the restart in the wake of multiple meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power complex, triggered by a massive earthquake and tsunami crisis in 2011.
Over half of the country’s 33 operable nuclear reactors are still offline but the Japanese government has shifted energy policy to maximize the use of nuclear power, seeing it as a stable, carbon-free energy source.
Hanazumi, who had not made clear his position after taking office in 2018, told a press conference in Niigata that in giving the nod for the reboot, he will ask the government to take seven steps such as building roads to allow evacuation at time of an accident and to carefully explain safety measures to residents.
The Niigata residents’ views over resuming the reactor are “deeply divided but I believe that the more awareness for safety measures and disaster prevention steps increase among the people, their support for the restart will expand,” said Hanazumi, who was asked in March 2024 by then industry minister overseeing nuclear policy to support the restart.
The governor said he will ask the prefectural assembly to discuss whether he can stay on as governor after making the latest decision at its 20-day session starting Dec. 2.
If the assembly endorses the governor’s decision, Hanazumi will report the move to the state, ending the process of obtaining local consent. Both heads of Kashiwazaki and Kariwa, the municipalities hosting the nuclear complex, are generally in support for the restart.
As technical preparations were completed for the No. 6 reactor in October, the unit could be restarted within the current fiscal year ending next March.
Together with the No. 7 reactor, the two units had cleared safety reviews by the Nuclear Regulation Authority under stricter post-Fukushima safety regulations in December 2017.
The Japanese government hopes the reboot will help secure electricity for Tokyo and the surrounding areas.
TEPCO sees the restart as a major pillar of its operations which will contribute to higher revenues that can be used to compensate people affected by the Fukushima nuclear accident and help lower utility costs.
Hanazumi’s approval comes despite some local opposition to the restart and persistent distrust of TEPCO stemming from the Fukushima crisis and multiple security issues, including an unauthorized access incident, at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa reactor.
A survey of Niigata residents showed earlier this month that 50 percent are in support and 47 percent against restarting the unit at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant, while nearly 70 percent said they are concerned about TEPCO being responsible for operating the reactor.
Over 10 years after the Fukushima accident, many residents still cannot return home due to high radiation levels. TEPCO sticks to the roadmap to decommission the Fukushima Daiichi plant by 2051 but has repeatedly postponed processes due to multiple troubles.
The security issues at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant in 2021 have led the Nuclear Regulation Authority to ban TEPCO from moving nuclear fuel at the complex, effectively prohibiting the restart of the nuclear reactor. The ban was lifted in December 2023.
Eager to obtain approval, TEPCO said in October it would disburse around 100 billion yen ($644 million) to the Niigata prefectural government to help revitalize the local economy. It also said it will consider scrapping the Nos. 1-2 units at the complex.
