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Japan is preparing to restart the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, the world's largest nuclear facility, more than a decade after it went offline following the 2011 Fukushima disaster.
Niigata prefectural governor Hideyo Hanazumi is expected to approve the restart of the 8.2-gigawatt facility as early as Friday, according to Nikkei Asia. The decision would mark a significant step toward bringing the massive plant back online for the first time since 2012.
The facility, operated by Tokyo Electric Power, sits in central Niigata prefecture and contains seven reactors. It has remained idle since the year after a devastating earthquake and tsunami triggered a meltdown at Tokyo Electric's Fukushima Daiichi plant, an incident that fundamentally reshaped Japan's energy policy and public attitudes toward nuclear power.
Hanazumi told reporters Wednesday that he would announce his decision on the reactivation plan based on information gathered through an extensive review process. He has reportedly informed prefectural officials of his intention to publicly support the restart.
The approval process requires multiple layers of government consent. Following the governor's decision, the matter will move to the prefectural assembly, which begins its monthly session on Dec. 2. If assembly members approve the project, the prefecture will then notify the national government in Tokyo that local procedures have been completed.
A February report from the prefecture's technical committee found no safety concerns regarding the plant's compliance with extensive safety requirements. The review examined whether the facility met standards implemented after the Fukushima disaster, which prompted Japan to develop more stringent nuclear safety protocols.
Only one of the plant's seven reactors has been prepared for restart. Unit 6 already has nuclear fuel installed and stands ready for immediate reactivation once all approvals are secured.
If the approval process proceeds without delays, reactor unit 6 could become operational by the end of March 2026. The restart would represent a milestone in Japan's efforts to revive its nuclear power sector, which was largely shuttered in the wake of Fukushima.
The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant's designation as the world's largest nuclear facility stems from its combined generating capacity across all seven reactors, though only one unit will initially return to service.
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