Japan may build the first nuclear reactor after the Fukushima accident

Japanese utility company Kansai Electric Power saidthe government will resume research into the possibility of building a new reactor at the Mihama nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture.

The project was halted after the 2011 tsunami, which caused the country's largest accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

Kansai Electric was the first in Japan to put forward plans to build a new reactor from scratch as part of the country's return to nuclear power 14 years after the disaster, notes Financial Times.

The company said that Japan needs nuclear power to achieve three goals: energy security, economic growth, and carbon emissions reduction.

"In a resource-poor country like Japan, we need to think about how to ensure uninterrupted energy supplies, especially with the growth of new industries," said Nozomu Mori, president of Kansai Electric.

The prospect of building more energy-intensive data centers and semiconductor factories in Japan has led to an increase in energy consumption forecasts and is expected to offset the decline in demand due to population decline.

In February, the government revised its nuclear policy, setting a goal of providing 20% of electricity from nuclear power by 2040 and supporting the construction of new reactors.

Until March 2011, when the earthquake and tsunami damaged the Fukushima nuclear power plant, there were 54 reactors in operation in Japan. Nuclear generation provided about 30% of electricity.

Kansai Electric operates seven reactors, more than any other power plant in Japan, but five of them have been in operation for more than 40 years.

• In 2022, Japan adopted legislative changes that allow reactors to operate up to 60 years. However, new installations are estimated to take two decades from the initial study to completion.