Japan pushing for operation of reactors that were shut down after Fukushima disaster
The governor of Hokkaido prefecture in northern Japan announced on 28 November his support for the planned restart of Unit 3 at Hokkaido Electric Power Company’s Tomari nuclear power station.
“The use of nuclear power is a realistic option that can be taken for now,” Naomichi Suzuki told the Hokkaido assembly.
Suzuki said he plans to make a final decision early next month based on discussions in the assembly and the opinions of other related local governments.
In remarks at the assembly, the governor said the region needed a stable supply of electricity amid an expected surge in demand. He said he expected to see a drop in electricity rates due to the Tomari-3 restart and the carbon-free nature of nuclear power.
In August, the federal government asked for support for the restart from Hokkaido and four local municipalities, including the village of Tomari, which hosts the power plant.
Tomari-3 is a 866-MW pressurised water reactor unit which began commercial operation in 2009. There are two other units at the site, both of which were taken offline after the 2011 Fukushima disaster.
Earlier this year Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority approved a safety screening report that said Tomari-3 met safety standards introduced after Fukushima.
Japan has 33 commercially available units, 14 of which have resumed operation under stringent post-Fukushima rules. Restarts face high regulatory hurdles and need local government support.
Before the 2011 Fukushima disaster Japan’s fleet of 54 nuclear plants generated about 30% of the country’s electricity, but were all shut down for safety checks following the accident.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the figure for 2023, was 5.5%, but the government want to see this climb to 20%.
Japan’s new prime minister Sanae Takaichi has said she will push for the accelerated revival of nuclear power with reactor restarts key to reducing costly fuel imports.
