After 15 years of downtime: Japan restarts nuclear power plants

Japan is preparing to restart the world’s largest nuclear power plant after nearly 15 years of downtime. A regional vote has effectively cleared the way for the restart of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant.

Reuters reports this.

The Niigata Prefectural Assembly has voted in favor of Governor Hideyo Hanazumi, who previously supported restarting the plant. The decision allows the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant to resume operations.

The plant, located about 220 kilometers northwest of Tokyo, was shut down in 2011 after the earthquake and tsunami that led to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, which shut down 54 nuclear reactors in Japan.

Since then, the country has been gradually returning to nuclear power, with Japan now restarting 14 of the 33 reactors that remain operational in a bid to reduce its reliance on imported fossil fuels.

Kashiwazaki-Kariwa will be the first nuclear power plant to be restored under the management of Tokyo Electric Power Co, which also operated the stricken Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant.

After the vote, Governor Hideyo Hanazumi stressed that safety remains a key issue. At the same time, public opposition to restarting the plant remains in the region. About 300 protesters gathered outside the assembly building.

According to a survey by the prefectural government, about 60% of residents believe that the conditions for the nuclear power plant to resume operation have not yet been met. Almost 70% of those surveyed express concerns about the role of the plant operator.

It was previously reported that China has placed over a hundred intercontinental ballistic missiles in mines near the border with Mongolia and is actively building up its nuclear potential.

Recall that a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 occurred in Japan late on the evening of December 8.

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