The restart process at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant in Japan, which had been suspended since the Fukushima disaster, has been halted due to a technical malfunction. An alarm signal in the monitoring system during the startup of one reactor at the world's largest nuclear power plant by potential capacity caused operations to be immediately stopped.
According to editorial information, the startup of the reactor at the plant, located in Niigata Prefecture and operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), began late Wednesday after receiving final approval from the nuclear regulator. However, an alarm was received from the monitoring system during the initial phase, leading to the immediate suspension of all operations.
TEPCO spokesperson Takashi Kobayashi stated that the malfunction was detected in the electrical equipment, and after it became clear that the problem could not be resolved quickly, the control rods were intentionally reinserted into the reactor. He added that the reactor is currently in a "stable condition" and there is no radioactive risk outside the plant's boundaries. It was noted that control rods are used to regulate the nuclear chain reaction, and when fully inserted, the reaction can be completely stopped.
The restart process was originally scheduled to begin on Tuesday. However, the process was postponed due to another technical issue discovered during the removal of control rods last weekend. TEPCO announced that the problem was resolved on Sunday. The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant has a total of 7 reactors, and only 1 reactor is planned for restart at this stage. The plant was shut down after the meltdown of 3 reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant following the powerful earthquake and tsunami in 2011, and Kashiwazaki-Kariwa is the first nuclear power plant TEPCO planned to restart after 2011.
The Japanese government aims to revive the use of nuclear energy to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels, achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, and meet the growing energy demand related to artificial intelligence. However, public opinion in Niigata Prefecture is sharply divided on this issue. According to a survey conducted in September, approximately 60 percent of the region's residents oppose the plant's reopening, while 37 percent support the move. Yumiko Abe, 73, told AFP during a protest, "The electricity produced in Kashiwazaki is sent to Tokyo. So why should the people here be put at risk? It makes no sense." Earlier this month, 7 groups opposing the plant's opening submitted a petition with approximately 40,000 signatures to TEPCO and the Nuclear Regulation Authority of Japan.