After 15 years of shutdown, Tokyo is bringing the world’s largest nuclear power plant back online.
What sounds like energy pragmatism is in fact a geopolitical pivot – away from LNG, toward uranium. And this under the operator TEPCO, the very symbol of the Fukushima disaster.
Details
The Restart: Initially, only Reactor 6 at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa will go online. In the long run, the plant could deliver up to 8.2 gigawatts – enough to power millions of households.
The Fukushima Test: This marks TEPCO’s first reactor restart since the 2011 catastrophe. The move is widely seen as a litmus test for Japan’s entire nuclear industry – and for public trust in the operator.
Safety vs Seismics: The facility sits on an active geological fault line and was hit by a strong earthquake in 2007. TEPCO has since upgraded defenses: a tsunami wall, emergency power systems, and stricter oversight.
Industry over Ideology: The government is not only reviving old reactors but also planning new ones – especially Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) in cooperation with the United States.
Back to nuclear power?
Offshore wind is expanding more slowly than expected, LNG is expensive, and coal is no longer politically viable. At the same time, electricity demand is rising sharply due to data centers, industrial growth, and decarbonization targets.
Nuclear power is now being sold again as a “stability anchor” – backed by the new government and the Seventh Basic Energy Plan:
- 🟡 Energy mix 2040: Nuclear 20%, Renewables 40–50%, Fossil fuels 30–40%
- 🟡 Policy shift: No more “phasing down nuclear” – instead active use and expansion
- 🟡 Triple objective: Energy security, competitiveness and decarbonization, complemented by a focus on hydrogen, ammonia and smart grids
Nuclear power delivers baseload electricity without weather risk and with low direct emissions, helping to stabilize prices, cut import costs and secure climate targets.
Background
After Fukushima, all 54 of Japan’s reactors were shut down. Today, only 33 are still considered operable, and so far just 15 have returned to service.
The restart of Kashiwazaki-Kariwa marks a political turning point: Japan is once again accepting nuclear power as a core pillar of its strategic energy architecture.
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