Japan Lifts Ban on World's Largest Nuclear Plant

Japan's nuclear regulatory authority has announced the removal of its safety ban on Tokyo Electric Power's (TEPCO) Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant, which holds the distinction of being the world's largest nuclear facility in terms of capacity.

TEPCO has sought to reactivate the plant due to the substantial operating costs it entails. The next step requires TEPCO to obtain approval from local authorities in Niigata prefecture, specifically from Kashiwazaki city and Kariwa village.

The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant boasts an impressive capacity of 8,212 megawatts (MW) and was TEPCO's sole operational nuclear power station.

However, it has remained offline since 2012, following the Fukushima disaster in March 2011, which prompted the shutdown of all nuclear power plants in Japan.

The Japanese Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NRA) has expressed confidence in TEPCO's enhanced preparedness and subsequently lifted the de facto ban.

The NRA conducted extensive inspections, totaling more than 4,000 hours, of the plant's facilities.

In 2021, the NRA had previously barred the plant from operation due to safety violations and inadequate anti-terrorism measures.

These concerns included lapses in safeguarding nuclear materials and an incident involving an unauthorized individual gaining access to sensitive areas of the facility.

Consequently, the NRA had issued orders preventing TEPCO from transporting new uranium fuel to the plant or loading fuel rods into its reactors.

Yoshimasa Hayashi, the government's top spokesperson, stated, "The government will seek the understanding and cooperation of Niigata prefecture and local communities, emphasizing 'safety-first'."

Following this decision, TEPCO affirmed its commitment to earning the trust of the local community and society as a whole. On a related note, a Tokyo court ruled on Tuesday that TEPCO, the sole operator of the tsunami-affected Fukushima nuclear power plant, must provide compensation to numerous evacuees.