A technical glitch has delayed the restart of the world’s largest nuclear plant in Japan, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) said on Monday. The delay comes just a day before local media reported the plant was expected to go online.
TEPCO said the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant will need another day or two for additional equipment checks. A spokesperson, Isao Ito, explained that the company detected a technical issue with an alarm linked to one of the reactors on Saturday. The alarm was fixed by Sunday, but TEPCO decided more checks were necessary before resuming operations.
The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa facility is set to be the first nuclear plant TEPCO restarts since the Fukushima disaster in 2011. That year, a massive earthquake and tsunami caused three reactors at the Fukushima plant to melt down, prompting Japan to halt its nuclear power operations. TEPCO has not publicly announced an exact date to restart the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant.
Japan is now pushing to revive atomic energy to reduce its reliance on imported fossil fuels, meet rising electricity demand, and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. The government and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi support nuclear power as part of the country’s energy strategy.
However, the restart remains controversial. About 50 people gathered outside TEPCO’s Tokyo headquarters on Monday, protesting the plan. “A full investigation is needed, and if a major flaw is confirmed, the reactor should be permanently shut down,” said Takeshi Sakagami, president of the Citizens’ Nuclear Regulatory Watchdog Group.
TEPCO has assured that the reactor meets national nuclear safety standards. Officials said after completing the final checks, they will report to Japan’s nuclear authorities and proceed with the restart.
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Japan is the fifth-largest emitter of carbon dioxide in the world and relies heavily on imported fossil fuels. Reviving the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant is seen as a step toward clean energy, but public concerns about safety remain strong.
