US EditionJapan to Restart Largest Nuclear Plant
Niigata assembly's approval enables TEPCO to restart Japan's largest nuclear plant, potentially boosting Tokyo's power supply by 2% amid energy security concerns.
- Coming in early 2026, Niigata Governor Hideyo Hanazumi approved the restart of KK's Unit 6, with TEPCO planning to bring it online around Jan 20, 2026, for a soft launch.
- Tokyo has suffered power shortages in recent years, prompting the LDP-led Strategic Energy Plan to stress maximum utilisation of nuclear power as Japan's energy self-sufficiency stands at 15.2 per cent with nuclear at 10.5 per cent, targeting 20 per cent by March 2041.
- Preparing Units 6 and 7, Tokyo Electric Power Company completed 1.2 trillion yen in upgrades including a 15m-tall seawall, 20 backup generator vehicles, 42 truck-mounted fire pumps, and a 20,000 cu m reservoir.
- The plant's 8.2 gigawatt capacity could supply more than 13 million homes, and TEPCO pledged a 100 billion yen fund over 10 years to support Niigata's local economy.
- Despite engaging over 40,000 residents, TEPCO still faces public distrust and local opposition in Niigata, where 50% support and 47% oppose restart, a Dec 11 survey shows.
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75 Articles
Just under 15 years after the Fukushima nuclear disaster, Japan is facing the re-launch of the world's largest nuclear power plant. However, it is considered controversial.The Niigata Prefecture's regional parliament expressed the confidence of Governor Hideyo Hanazumi on Monday, who had endorsed the plans last month, thus paving the way for the resumption of the operation of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa power plant.Like 53 other nuclear power plants …
After the nuclear disaster in Fukushima in 2011, all reactors in Japan had been shut down. Meanwhile, some are back on the grid. Now the largest power plant in the world is to follow soon.
Today, Monday 22 December, with a regional vote, Japan took the last step to allow the world's largest nuclear power station to resume its...
The Niigata Prefecture's Parliament approves that the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant will resume its operation on the Japanese Sea.
The nuclear reactor in Niigata prefecture was one of 54 shut down after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami - Concern among residents who fear a "new Fukushima"
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