Niigata gov. to OK TEPCO's 1st nuclear plant restart since Fukushima
Baku, November 19, AZERTAC
Niigata Gov. Hideyo Hanazumi plans to approve the restart of a nuclear reactor, northwest of Tokyo, making it the first for its operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. since the 2011 Fukushima accident, according to Kyodo.
Hanazumi has told a person close to him that he will announce his endorsement possibly on Friday, the sources said, a decision that will remove a major hurdle to restarting the No. 6 unit at the seven-reactor Kashiwazaki-Kariwa complex in Niigata, as sought by TEPCO and the central government.
Local consent is essential for the restart of a nuclear reactor after multiple meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power complex in the aftermath of a major earthquake and tsunami raised safety concerns. Many of the country's reactors are still offline.
As a critical step toward restarting the No. 6 reactor, approval from the local governor was seen as key, as the heads of Kashiwazaki and Kariwa, the municipalities hosting the complex, are generally in support of bringing it back online.
Since assuming office in June 2018, however, Hanazumi has not clarified his stance, citing the need to evaluate evacuation and safety steps in case of an accident.
At a press conference on Wednesday, he said he wants "to speak about it soon after reaching a conclusion."
TEPCO, in the hope of obtaining local approval, said in October it will 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.
The Japanese government, which sees nuclear power as a reliable power source partly because of its decarbonization drive, has been seeking the resumption of the unit, with Ken Saito, the industry minister overseeing energy issues at the time, requesting Hanazumi's support in March 2024.
TEPCO has positioned the plant's restart as a pillar of its strategy to lower power generation costs and secure funds to compensate those affected by the March 2011 quake-tsunami disaster at the Fukushima plant.
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