TEPCO tweaks plan to restart reactors at central Japan nuclear plant
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc., whose nuclear reactors have remained offline since the 2011 Fukushima disaster, plans to revise its strategy for restarting reactors in central Japan, sources familiar with the matter said Tuesday.
TEPCO is now preparing to restart the No. 6 unit of its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa complex in Niigata Prefecture, one of the world's largest nuclear power plants by output capacity, aiming to finish preparations in August, they said.
The company had previously planned to restart the No. 7 reactor even though the unit will have to be halted in October to implement anti-terrorism safety measures. TEPCO expected the No. 7 reactor's operation would help meet an expected rise in power demand during summer.
The change in plans comes as the company's prospects for gaining local consent to resume operation of the plant on the Sea of Japan coast remain uncertain, according to the sources.
Niigata Gov. Hideyo Hanazumi has yet to consent to the plant's operation, pending a series of public hearings on the matter this summer.
TEPCO began loading nuclear fuel into the No. 6 reactor on Tuesday, the sources said.
Taking steps to protect nuclear plants from terrorist attacks became mandatory under the stricter safety standards implemented by the Nuclear Regulation Authority after the nuclear disaster at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi plant triggered by a massive earthquake and tsunami in March 2011.
TEPCO aims to complete anti-terrorism measures for the No. 7 unit by August 2029.
As for the No. 6 reactor, TEPCO has until September 2029 to implement these measures, and it can continue operating until that time, pending local approval.
The utility and the government had planned to have at least one unit in operation at the complex from summer to meet rising electricity demand and lower dependence on fossil fuel power generation.
The Nuclear Regulation Authority imposed a de facto ban on the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant in 2021 after it was found to be vulnerable to unauthorized entry at multiple locations, but the authority lifted the ban after security measures were improved.
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