Japan Halts Restart of World’s Largest Nuclear Plant Hours After Launch - english.pardafas.com

Japan has suspended the restart process of the world’s largest nuclear power plant just hours after operations began, though the reactor remains stable, its operator said on Thursday. Tokyo Electric Power Company said procedures to restart a reactor at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture were halted after an alarm sounded during startup. The plant, shut down since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, had begun restart operations late Wednesday after receiving final approval from the nuclear regulator. TEPCO spokesperson Takashi Kobayashi said the alert was triggered by malfunctioning electrical equipment detected during the startup process. He said the company decided to suspend operations after determining that resolving the issue would take time and reinserted the control rods in a planned manner. He added that the reactor remains stable and that there has been no radioactive impact outside the facility. Control rods regulate the nuclear chain reaction inside a reactor and can be inserted to slow or stop operations. The restart had already been delayed earlier this week after a separate technical issue involving the rods was identified and later resolved. Kashiwazaki-Kariwa is the world’s largest nuclear power plant by potential capacity, though only one of its seven reactors was being restarted. The facility was shut down after Japan suspended nuclear power nationwide following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that caused reactor meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. Japan has since moved to revive nuclear energy as it seeks to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, and meet rising electricity demand driven by technologies such as artificial intelligence. The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa restart would mark the first resumption of a TEPCO-operated reactor since 2011. The company also runs the Fukushima Daiichi plant, which is currently being decommissioned. Public opinion in Niigata remains divided. A survey conducted in September showed that around 60 percent of residents oppose the restart, while 37 percent support it. Local opposition groups argue that the plant sits on an active seismic fault and point to damage caused by a strong earthquake in 2007. Earlier this month, seven groups opposing the restart submitted a petition signed by nearly 40,000 people to TEPCO and the Nuclear Regulation Authority, citing seismic risks and public safety concerns.The post Japan Halts Restart of World’s Largest Nuclear Plant Hours After Launch first appeared on epardafas.com.