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On December 27, Japan's Nuclear Regulation Commission decided to lift the ban on the operation of TEPCO's Kashiwazaki Kariba Nuclear Power Station. The plant, which has a capacity of 8,212 megawatts, has been offline since the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2012 shut down all nuclear power plants in Japan at the time. TEPCO has been keen to bring the world's largest nuclear power plant back online to cut operating costs, but resuming operations still requires the consent of Niigata Prefecture, Kashiwazaki City and the local ** of Kawawa Village, where the nuclear power plant is located.
In April 2021, Japan's Nuclear Regulation Commission issued a ban on the operation of the Kashiwazaki Kariba Nuclear Power Plant due to a series of problems and loopholes in anti-terrorism and safety measures.
Japan's Nuclear Regulation Commission said at a meeting held on December 20 that it had confirmed that the problems at the Kashiwazaki Kariba nuclear power plant had improved through previous inspections. The plant has been out of service for two years and eight months, and preparations will begin for its restart when the ban is lifted on December 27.
Tomoaki Kobayakawa, president of TEPCO, said at the conference, "It will not be easy for TEPCO to regain the trust of society because of the Fukushima nuclear accident. We will continue to improve the situation. Shinsuke Yamanaka, chairman of the Nuclear Regulation Commission, responded, "I hope TEPCO will not forget that its responsibility to Fukushima will be the top priority." ”
Since January 2021, the Kashiwazaki Kariba Nuclear Power Plant has been exposed to problems such as the illegal use of access control cards and the failure of intrusion detection equipment. In April of the same year, after Japan's Nuclear Regulation Commission issued an operational ban on it, TEPCO began to conduct relevant inspections. However, according to the decision of the Nuclear Regulation Commission of Japan on May 17, 2023, the Nuclear Regulation Commission of Japan refused to lift the ban on the operation of the Kashiwazaki Kariba Nuclear Power Plant.
According to the Nuclear Regulation Commission of Japan, four of the 27 items in the inspection report submitted by TEPCO still need to be rectified, and the monitoring system for illegal entrants is inadequate.
Japan's Nuclear Regulation Commission on Wednesday lifted a corrective action order that prevented TEPCO from sending new uranium fuel to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant or loading fuel rods into the reactor, effectively preventing the resumption of production, citing improvements in the safety management system.
Following the decision, TEPCO said it would continue its efforts to regain the trust of the local community and society as a whole, while Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary said it would do its part to assist in the process.
*Chief Spokesperson Yoshimasa Hayashi said, "*We will seek the understanding and cooperation of Niigata Prefecture and the local community, emphasizing 'safety first.'" ”
Resource-poor Japan is desperate to bring more nuclear power plants into service to reduce its dependence on imported fossil fuels such as liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Japan's LNG imports will fall to 58.5 million tonnes by FY2024 25 from an estimated 64 million tonnes this year, according to the Japan Institute of Energy Economics (IEEJ) last week. Factors that have declined include the expected restart of more nuclear reactors and an increase in renewable energy.
TEPCO's shares soared earlier this month after Japan's Nuclear Regulation Commission said it would consider lifting the operating ban after conducting an on-site inspection of TEPCO and meeting with the company's president.