Atomic Power Returns to Japan After 14-Year Hiatus
The plant's No. 6 reactor began transmitting power to the Tokyo metropolitan area at 10 p.m. local time Monday — the first time electricity has flowed from a TEPCO-operated nuclear unit in approximately 14 years, since Japan shuttered its nuclear fleet following the catastrophic March 2011 core meltdowns at the tsunami-devastated Fukushima Daiichi plant.
TEPCO intends to gradually ramp the 1.35-million-kilowatt reactor to 50 percent capacity before temporarily suspending operations Friday or later to conduct equipment testing. If the process proceeds without incident, the utility plans to push output to full capacity and launch commercial operations on March 18.
Situated roughly 220 kilometers northwest of Tokyo, Kashiwazaki-Kariwa holds the distinction of being the world's largest nuclear power plant by potential output. The reactivation of the seven-unit complex's No. 6 reactor represents the first TEPCO-managed unit to return to service since the Fukushima disaster reshaped global perceptions of nuclear safety.
The restart has not gone unchallenged. Local opposition has intensified amid persistent concerns that the facility sits atop an active seismic fault zone — a particularly sensitive issue in one of the world's most earthquake-prone nations.
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