Current:Home > ScamsTEPCO’s operational ban is lifted, putting it one step closer to restarting reactors in Niigata -DubaiFinance
TEPCO’s operational ban is lifted, putting it one step closer to restarting reactors in Niigata
View
Date:2025-04-27 20:43:53
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese nuclear safety regulators lifted an operational ban Wednesday imposed on Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, the operator behind the Fukushima plant that ended in disaster, allowing the company to resume preparations for restarting a separate plant after more than 10 years.
At its weekly meeting, the Nuclear Regulation Authority formally lifted the more than two-year ban imposed on the TEPCO over its lax safety measures, saying a series of inspections and meetings with company officials has shown sufficient improvement. The decision removes an order that prohibited TEPCO from transporting new fuel into the plant or placing it into reactors, a necessary step for restarting Kashiwazaki-Kariwa’s reactors.
The plant on Japan’s northern coast of Niigata is TEPCO’s only workable nuclear power plant since the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami put its Fukushima Daiichi plant out of operation. Now the company is burdened with the growing cost of decommissioning the Fukushima plant and compensating disaster-hit residents.
The NRA slapped an unprecedented ban on the operator in April 2021 after revelations of a series of sloppy anti-terrorism measures at TEPCO’s Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant, the world’s largest nuclear power complex housing seven reactors.
The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant was partially damaged in a 2007 earthquake, causing distrust among local municipalities. The March 2011 disaster caused stoppages of all 54 reactors Japan used to have before the Fukushima disaster, and prompted utility operators to decommission many of them due to additional safety costs, bringing the number of usable reactors to 33 today. Twelve reactors have been restarted under tougher safety standards, and the government wants to bring more than 20 others back online.
TEPCO was making final preparations to restart the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant’s No. 6 and No. 7 reactors after regulators granted safety approvals for them in 2017. But in 2018, regulators gave the plant’s nuclear security a “red” rating, the lowest given to any operator, resulting in the operational ban.
The case raised questions about whether TEPCO learned any lessons from the 2011 Fukushima crisis, which was largely attributed to the utility’s lack of concern about safety.
NRA Chair Shinsuke Yamanaka told Wednesday’s meeting that the lifting of the restrictions is just the beginning, and TEPCO is still required to keep improving its safety precautions.
Before TEPCO can restart the reactors, it needs the consent of nearby residents. Prior to the NRA decision Wednesday, Niigata Gov. Hideyo Hanazumi told reporters that the will of the voters he represents must be taken into consideration.
The Japanese government recently began a push to restart as many reactors as possible to maximize nuclear energy and meet decarbonization targets. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s government has reversed Japan’s nuclear energy phaseout plan, instead looking to use atomic power as key energy supply accounting to more than one-fifth of the country’s energy supply.
veryGood! (9772)
Related
- Hackers hit Rhode Island benefits system in major cyberattack. Personal data could be released soon
- Average Global Temperature Has Warmed 1.5 Degrees Celsius Above Pre-industrial Levels for 12 Months in a Row
- Topical gel is latest in decades-long quest for hormonal male birth control
- Under pressure from cities, DoorDash steps up efforts to ensure its drivers don’t break traffic laws
- Skins Game to make return to Thanksgiving week with a modern look
- Cassie’s Lawyer Slams Sean Diddy Combs’ Recent Outing With Scathing Message
- Channing Tatum Reveals the Moment He Realized He Needed Fiancée Zoë Kravitz
- Divers exploring ancient shipwreck where human remains were found off Greece discover second wreck, new treasures
- Biden administration makes final diplomatic push for stability across a turbulent Mideast
- Bethenny Frankel opens up about breakup with fiancé Paul Bernon: 'I wasn't happy'
Ranking
- Trump suggestion that Egypt, Jordan absorb Palestinians from Gaza draws rejections, confusion
- Climbers in Malibu find abandoned German Shepherd with zip ties around mouth, neck
- These cannibal baby sharks eat their siblings in the womb – and sketches show just how gruesome it can be
- Topical gel is latest in decades-long quest for hormonal male birth control
- Realtor group picks top 10 housing hot spots for 2025: Did your city make the list?
- Pregnant Gypsy Rose Blanchard Shares Message to Anyone Who Thinks She's Not Ready to Be a Mother
- NYU settles lawsuit filed by 3 Jewish students who complained of pervasive antisemitism
- Bethenny Frankel Shares Message From Olivia Culpo Amid Ex Paul Bernon and Aurora Culpo Rumors
Recommendation
Chuck Scarborough signs off: Hoda Kotb, Al Roker tribute legendary New York anchor
NYU settles lawsuit filed by 3 Jewish students who complained of pervasive antisemitism
What the American Pie Cast Is Up to Now
SpaceX launches Turkey's first domestically-built communications satellite
McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
2 former Missouri police officers accused of federal civil rights violations
Suki Waterhouse Shares Sizzling Bikini Photo Months After Welcoming Baby Girl
In closing, prosecutor says Sen. Bob Menendez’s behavior in response to bribes was ‘wildly abnormal’