– Japan is set to restart the Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear plant in October 2024, part of a broader initiative to bring five reactors nationwide back into operation by 2025.
– The move will contribute to lowering power costs and advancing Japan’s environmental objectives.
– Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco) is preparing to recommence operations at unit 7 of the Kashiwazaki Kariwa facility in Niigata Prefecture, with plans to load fuel into the reactor already approved by Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority.
Japan is set to restart the Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear plant in October 2024 as part of a broader initiative to bring five reactors back into operation by 2025. This move is expected to lower power costs and advance Japan’s environmental objectives. Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco) is preparing to restart unit 7 at the facility in Niigata Prefecture after more than a decade of suspension following the Fukushima disaster in 2011. This will be the first instance of Tepco operating a nuclear reactor in compliance with stringent safety regulations established post-Fukushima. Japan’s government aims to accelerate reactor restarts to mitigate power costs, ensure a stable energy supply, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
In 2013, units 6 and 7 of the Kashiwazaki Kariwa plant were proposed for restart, with Tepco applying for safety enhancements. The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) granted permission for Tepco to restart both units in 2017, with fuel loading into unit 7 approved in April 2023. BNEF projects a decrease in electricity prices in 2024 due to increased supply from nuclear restarts, wind, and solar projects. However, the rate of restarts may not meet the government’s target of nuclear energy comprising one-fifth of Japan’s power mix by 2030. Tepco’s plan to restart unit 7 is part of efforts to achieve this goal.