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Japan is edging closer to approving the restart of the world’s largest nuclear power plant – the first time it would be operated since the 2011 Fukushima disaster.<\/p>\n
Hideyo Hanazumi, governor of the Niigata region where the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa power plant is located, said he has given the green light for the partial restart.<\/p>\n
The plan to resume operations at the facility, operated by utility company Tepco, still needs approval from the prefecture’s government assembly and Japan’s nuclear regulator before it can proceed.<\/p>\n
If approved, it would be the first time Tepco would be allowed to recommence nuclear reactor operations in Japan since its Fukushima plant went into meltdown following a tsunami.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Residents in Niigata are divided over whether the plant should be restarted or not.<\/p>\n
Hanazumi told a news conference on Friday that his decision would be discussed in December at a prefectural government assembly, where he would seek the assembly’s approval. <\/p>\n
The approval would be for the recommencement of operations at the <\/b>Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant’s No 6 reactor, followed by the No 7. <\/p>\n
The resumption of operations at the facility is part of Tepco’s business reconstruction plan following the Fukushima meltdown, which was caused by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and massive tsunami.<\/p>\n
When the plant’s reactors were flooded by the tsunami, it caused radiation to leak out and forced 150,000 people to be evacuated from the area.<\/p>\n
Japan ordered all its nuclear power plant reactors to be shut down in 2011 following the disaster. Since then, 14 reactors have resumed operations.<\/p>\n
Tepco was ordered to pay trillions of Japanese yen in damages to those affected and is also paying for the plant’s decommissioning costs.<\/p>\n
A survey released by Niigata prefecture last month suggested 50% of its residents supported the plant’s restart, while 47% were against it. It also indicated that almost 70% of people in the prefecture were concerned about Tepco running the plant. <\/p>\n
Friday’s decision demonstrates a desire among some in Japan to move towards increased use of atomic energy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, as the country pursues a goal of net zero carbon emissions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n