World’s largest nuclear power plant to restart in Japan

After a 15-year shutdown, the world's largest nuclear power plant is set to restart in Japan. The massive facility, known as Kashiwa-Kariwa, has been closed since the 2011 Fukushima disaster. One of the reactors at the plant, operated by Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), is scheduled to restart on February 9.

Plant chief Takeyuki Inagaki announced the news at a press conference on Friday (February 6). An attempt to restart the reactor on January 21 was halted the next day after an alarm went off. The alarm was triggered by a technical fault, but authorities have now confirmed that the reactor is safe for operation after tests.

Commercial production at the plant is expected to begin on or after March 18. The Kashiwa-Kariwa plant has seven reactors, but only one is currently operating.

Japan shut down all its nuclear plants after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, following a massive earthquake and tsunami. However, the country is now turning to nuclear power again as it aims to reduce its dependence on oil imports and reduce its carbon emissions to zero by 2050. The government sees the plant as vital to meet the growing demand for electricity from artificial intelligence, or AI, technology.

The plant has met with mixed reactions among local residents. A survey in Niigata Prefecture found that about 60 percent of residents are against restarting the plant.

In January, seven protest groups submitted a petition signed by about 40,000 people, claiming that the facility is located on an active earthquake-prone fault.

They fear that another earthquake as powerful as the one in 2007 could pose a major risk here. However, despite all the fears and controversies, Tepco is moving towards final preparations.

Source: NDTV.