2 reactors) are expected to restart in 2023.Īll three of the nuclear reactors are cleared for another 20 years of operation. The other two reactors (the Takahama Nuclear Power Plant’s No. One of the reactors (the Mihama Nuclear Power Plant’s No.
JAPAN NUCLEAR REACTOR MELTDOWN UPDATE OFFLINE
In an effort to meet its goal of being carbon neutral by 2050, Japan has now given utility company Kansai Electric Power permission to restart three nuclear reactors that were built in the 1970s and were taken offline in 2011. Japan’s energy sources became significantly more carbon-intensive after 2011, bucking the global trend toward cleaner power (as well as significantly more expensive, according to the U.S. Japan is restarting three nuclear reactors that were built in the 1970s and went offline in 2011. Nuclear reactors have an operating lifespan of just 25 to 40 years, though, and because they’re expensive and time-consuming to build, many places are choosing to replace aging reactors with carbon-emitting energy sources. Considering deaths from air pollution and accidents, nuclear power is hundreds of times safer than fossil fuels, like coal and oil. The company has spent about $9 billion reinforcing the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant.The need for nuclear: While nuclear accidents are serious, they’re also rare, and many experts see an increase in nuclear energy as key to building a sustainable future - nuclear is cleaner than fossil fuels and more reliable than renewables, such as wind and solar.ĭespite the disasters at Chernobyl and Fukushima, nuclear remains one of the safest sources of energy, according to figures collected by Our World in Data. Officials at Tokyo Electric say they are addressing the issues. It reported that an earthquake in 2007 had damaged two concrete pegs in a building foundation, and the regulator found a risk of liquefaction in the ground beneath a sea wall protecting reactors.
JAPAN NUCLEAR REACTOR MELTDOWN UPDATE INSTALL
The company admitted flawed welding work and a failure to install fire prevention machinery in a reactor. Last year, Tokyo Electric revealed that a plant worker had used a colleague’s security card and bypassed biometric systems in 2020, gaining entrance to a control room. In Kashiwazaki and Kariwa, the national regulator has suspended approvals, citing concerns about the safety culture at the Tokyo Electric Power Company, the plant’s operator. “The people who say that they are afraid of war or terrorism attacks against nuclear plants are probably the type of people who would oppose the restarts no matter what,” said Tsuyoshi Takagi, secretary-general of the Liberal Democrats’ task force on energy stability. Kariwa’s mayor, Hiroo Shinada, 65, is a vociferous proponent, while the mayor of Kashiwazaki, Masahiro Sakurai, 60, is investing in wind power but would support the temporary operation of some reactors. The stakes are high because an unwritten government policy requires local political leaders to ratify nuclear reboots. His challenger, Naomi Katagiri, a 72-year-old architect, promises to block the resumption of operations in Kashiwazaki and Kariwa. The current governor, Hideyo Hanazumi, 63, is backed by the governing Liberal Democrats but has remained vague about his restart intentions.
The public wariness will be tested in an election for governor this month in Niigata Prefecture. Just over half of prefectural residents oppose a nuclear restart, according to a 2021 survey by Niigata Nippo, a local newspaper. About 40 percent would accept the temporary operation of some reactors, but ultimately want the plant shut down. According to a 2020 survey by the city of Kashiwazaki, close to 20 percent of residents want to decommission the plant immediately.
Public polling presents a muddier picture. “I think that there are more people who understand the necessity of the plant,” said Masaaki Komuro, chief executive of Niigata Kankyo Service, a maintenance contractor at the facility. Many local residents work in the plant or know friends and family who do. The Times has also launched a Telegram channel to make its journalism more accessible around the world.
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