TOKYO ELECTRIC POWER COMPANY HOLDINGS, INC. The plant, with a capacity of about 8,000 megawatts, remains inoperative since the nuclear blackout ordered by Japanese authorities after the Fukushima atomic disaster in 2011, which led to a review of safety protocols of all of the country's plants.
The company and other Japanese energy firms have opted for the reactivation of all national nuclear power plants that comply with the new safety framework, thought the reopening of plants in many cases have been met with rejection by the local population or other regulatory and legal obstacles.
The company cleared an obstacle for reactivation of Kashiwazaki-Kariwa in December, when the Japanese nuclear authority approved the improvements made to guarantee the safety of the plant against incidents such as possible extremist attacks.
The electric company has now requested permission from the authority to begin loading nuclear fuel into reactor No. 7 of the plant (the most modern of its facilities) toward the middle of April, a necessary step to complete necessary inspections for its reactivation.
In addition to a new approval from the nuclear regulator, the company will need to have the green light from the regional government of Niigata, where the reactor is located.
Local authorities of this prefecture have expressed their concern about the impact that a hypothetical natural disaster could have on the plant, following the 7.6 magnitude earthquake at the beginning of the year on the Noto peninsula.
This generated a tsunami that also reached the coast of Niigata, in addition to causing technical problems at a nuclear plant in Ishikawa.
Due to its capacity, the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant is a key piece in the company's energy supply plan, and is in line with the strategy promoted by the government to promote the nuclear sector with a view to achieving its emissions reduction objectives.
© 2024 EFE News Services (U.S.) Inc., source
