Tokyo Electric Power Co. is seeking to restart its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture, one of the largest in the world, in April 2019 at the earliest.
However, among the many obstacles that TEPCO faces is obtaining the blessing of the prefectural governor, who has taken a cautious stance on the restart.
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However, under the existing CSBP, TEPCO hoped to restart the reactors in July 2014 one by one, but none have been restarted in the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa facility.
Furthermore, a key facility was found in February this year to be lacking an adequate level of earthquake resistance, which TEPCO had discovered three years ago, but not reported to the NRA. Therefore, when the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant could pass the safety screening is unknown.
TEPCO would also like Niigata Governor Ryuichi Yoneyama to support the restart of the plant. However, Yoneyama, whose term expires in October 2020, is reluctant to give his approval, putting the utility’s timetable in jeopardy.
TEPCO is also preparing for the eventuality if it cannot restart the plant, where it would aim to increase profits through cost reductions by as much as the operations of the two reactors could generate.
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