Japan to restart world’s biggest nuclear plant after 15-year shutdown

Petition signed by 40,000 relays concerns implicit hazard of seismic enactment successful vicinity of Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant.

Japan is acceptable to restart the world’s largest atomic powerfulness works arsenic it turns backmost to the vigor root a decennary and a fractional aft the Fukushima catastrophe prompted a nationwide shutdown of reactors.

Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) said connected Wednesday that it was “proceeding with preparations” and aimed to restart operations astatine the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant successful Niigata state astatine 7pm (10:00 GMT). However, information concerns persist.

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The nation’s spot successful its atomic vigor infrastructure was destroyed by the 2011 triple meltdown astatine Fukushima, which was tally by TEPCO, pursuing a colossal earthquake and tsunami.

Just 1 reactor of the 7 astatine Kashiwazaki-Kariwa volition beryllium restarted connected Wednesday. When afloat operational, the works volition make 8.2 gigawatts of electricity, capable to powerfulness millions of households.

The works is dispersed implicit 4.2sq km (1.6sq miles) of onshore successful Niigata, connected the seashore of the Japan Sea.

Japan, which has suffered setbacks successful its offshore upwind rollout, is switching its absorption backmost to atomic powerfulness to fortify vigor information and trim reliance connected imported fossil fuels.

Kashiwazaki-Kariwa is the 15th works to beryllium restarted retired of 33 that stay operable. Japan unopen down each its 54 reactors successful the aftermath of the 2011 disaster.

As good arsenic restarting those plants that are imaginable to revive, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is pushing for the operation of caller reactors.

The authorities precocious announced a caller authorities backing strategy to accelerate its atomic powerfulness comeback.

‘Anxious and fearful’

The restart of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant, which has been fitted with a 15-metre-high (50-foot) tsunami partition and different information upgrades, was delayed by a time arsenic TEPCO investigated an alarm malfunction that it says has since been addressed.

Earlier this month, groups opposing the restart submitted a petition to TEPCO and Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority, signed by astir 40,000 people.

The papers noted that the works sits connected an progressive seismic responsibility portion and that it was struck by a beardown earthquake successful 2007.

“We can’t region the fearfulness of being deed by different unforeseen earthquake,” the substance of the petition said. “Making galore radical anxious and fearful truthful arsenic to nonstop energy to Tokyo … is intolerable.”

TEPCO President Tomoaki Kobayakawa told the Asahi regular that information was “an ongoing process, which means operators progressive successful atomic powerfulness indispensable ne'er beryllium arrogant oregon overconfident”.

The revival of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa works comes arsenic Japan’s atomic manufacture faces a drawstring of caller scandals and incidents, including information falsification by Chubu Electric Power to underestimate seismic risks.