Photo/Illutration The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture operated by Tokyo Electric Power Co. (Takeshi Iwashita)

The Nuclear Regulation Authority on Dec. 27 decided to lift an order halting operations of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture, taking a major step toward a restart. 

The NRA was expected to hand a letter of notification to Tokyo Electric Power Co., the plant's operator, officially lifting the ban. Once the ban is lifted, the focus will shift to obtaining the local community’s consent for a restart. 

The NRA decided to lift the order because it assessed that the plant was in a state where “autonomous improvement can be expected,” which is the same minimum level as other nuclear plants.

However, the NRA will focus on checking whether the system is functioning to sustain improvements even after the order is lifted.

TEPCO completed the main examination on the No. 6 and No. 7 reactors at the plant, which was required for restarting the plant, in December 2017.

However, a series of problems was subsequently uncovered, including equipment to detect unauthorized intrusions not working and employees entering the central control room using another person's ID card.

The NRA in April 2021 issued a corrective measures order prohibiting the transfer of nuclear fuel within the plant, claiming that TEPCO violated the Nuclear Reactor Regulation Law.

NRA officials conducted inspections for more than 4,000 hours to check the status of improvements and released a draft report on Dec. 6 stating that the issues have been improved.

In addition to the draft report, a team led by Shinsuke Yamanaka, NRA chairman, conducted a site survey on Dec. 11 and met with the TEPCO president on Dec. 20.

The restart of the plant requires local consent, including the Niigata prefectural government.

Following the regulatory commission's decision, the focus will now be on the approval of Niigata Governor Hideyo Hanazumi.

Hanazumi has not clarified his stance, stating only that he will “ask the people of the prefecture for their trust” and has not announced the method by which he will seek it.

In addition, an evacuation plan in the event of a major nuclear accident, which is a prerequisite for consent, has not been developed.

Meanwhile, the Kishida administration, which is seeking to accelerate the resumption of nuclear plant operations, will hold briefings for local municipalities from early next year to seek their understanding.

The administration hopes to obtain their consent by offering financial support such as a grant of up to 1 billion yen ($7.02 million).

(This article was written by Ryo Sasaki and Aki Fukuyama.)

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