Japan set to restart world's biggest nuclear plant
Japan’s Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, the world’s largest by potential capacity, is set to restart on Wednesday for the first time since the 2011 Fukushima disaster, its operator Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) said, despite ongoing safety concerns among local residents.
The governor of Niigata province approved the resumption last month, though public opinion remains sharply divided, News.Az reports, citing AFP.
TEPCO said that after receiving final approval, they were “proceeding with preparations… and plan to remove the control rods after 7:00 pm today and start up the reactor.” Only one of the plant’s seven reactors is being restarted.
On Tuesday, a few dozen protesters — mostly elderly — braved freezing temperatures to demonstrate near the plant along the Sea of Japan coast. “It’s Tokyo’s electricity that is produced in Kashiwazaki, so why should the people here be put at risk? That makes no sense,” said 73-year-old resident Yumiko Abe.
A September survey showed roughly 60% of local residents oppose the restart, while 37% support it.
The plant was shut down after Japan halted nuclear power following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that caused a meltdown at the Fukushima plant. Now, resource-poor Japan seeks to revive atomic energy to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, meet growing energy demands driven by artificial intelligence, and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has voiced support for the initiative.
Similar news
