Japan has successfully restarted the world’s largest nuclear power plant on Monday, following a brief suspension due to a minor issue, according to the plant’s operator. The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant in the Niigata region was brought back online at 2:00 pm (0500 GMT), as announced by the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO).
An alarm malfunction in January had led to the initial suspension of the plant’s restart, which marked the first attempt since the Fukushima disaster in 2011. The plant had been inactive following Japan’s decision to halt nuclear power operations after the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami that caused a meltdown in three reactors at the Fukushima plant.
Japan is now re-embracing nuclear energy as part of its strategy to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, and cater to the increasing energy demands driven by artificial intelligence. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, a conservative leader who recently secured a significant electoral victory, has been an advocate for revitalizing the country’s nuclear power sector.
TEPCO had initially initiated the restart of one of the seven reactors at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant on January 21 but suspended operations the next day due to an alarm trigger from the monitoring system. Although the alarm detected minor fluctuations in electrical current within safe parameters, TEPCO confirmed the reactor’s safety for operation following adjustments to the alarm settings.
The plant is set to undergo a comprehensive inspection, with commercial operations expected to resume on or after March 18, according to TEPCO officials.
