The world's largest nuclear power plant will resume operations after a 15-year hiatus: one power unit is being launched

Japan has taken the final step toward restarting the world's largest nuclear power plant, Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, almost 15 years after the Fukushima disaster. On December 22, the Niigata prefectural assembly expressed a vote of confidence in the governor, who last month supported the resumption of operations at the plant, located 220 kilometers northwest of Tokyo. This was reported by Reuters.

Kashiwazaki-Kariwa will be the first Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) nuclear power plant to operate after the Fukushima-1 accident in 2011. At that time, an earthquake and tsunami caused the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl, which led Japan to shut down all 54 reactors. Since then, the country has restarted only 14 of the 33 operational ones.

"This is an important event, but it is not the end. There are no limits to ensuring the safety of Niigata residents," said Governor Hideyo Hanazumi.

According to NHK, Japanese electric power company TEPCO plans to restart the first of seven reactors on January 20. The total capacity of the plant is 8.2 gigawatts, which is enough for several million homes. One unit with a capacity of 1.36 gigawatts will be launched in the near future, and a second unit of the same capacity will be launched around 2030.

During the last session of the assembly this year, one of the lawmakers called it "a political settlement that disregards the will of the residents." Outside, about 300 protesters stood with signs that read "No to nuclear weapons" and "Support Fukushima."

"I'm genuinely angry. If something happens at the plant, we're the ones who will suffer," said 77-year-old protester Kenichiro Ishiyama.

A survey released by the prefecture in October showed that 60% of residents do not believe the conditions for a restart have been met. Almost 70% are concerned about the plant's operation by TEPCO.

TEPCO has pledged to invest 100 billion yen ($641 million) in the prefecture over the next 10 years in an effort to win the support of local residents.

Prime Minister (female) Sanae Takaichi who took office two months ago, supports restarting nuclear power plants to strengthen energy security. Fossil fuels, which account for 60-70% of Japan's electricity production, are expensive – last year the country spent 10.7 trillion yen ($68 billion) on importing gas and coal.

Energy demand will increase due to the boom in AI data centers, despite a shrinking population. Japan wants to double the share of nuclear power to 20% in its electricity mix by 2040.

• In 2022, Japan adopted changes to its legislation that allow reactors to operate for up to 60 years. However, new installations are estimated to take two decades from initial research to completion of construction.
• In July 2025, Kansai Electric Power announced the resumption of research for the construction of a new reactor at the Mihama Nuclear Power Plant.
• In November, it became known that the world's largest Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant in Japan is expected to resume operations by the end of March.