After 14 years out of operation, the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, one of the largest in the world, with an installed capacity of around 8,2 GW, resumed operations this Wednesday (21), in Niigata province, Japan.
The complex is operated by TEPCO, the same company responsible for the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, which suffered a meltdown in March 2011 after an earthquake followed by a tsunami.
In a statement released on its LinkedIn page, the company announced the start of operational testing at one of the plant's units. "Today, TEPCO received approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Authority for the reactor operation test at Unit 6 of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant," the statement highlighted.
"At 19:02 PM (local time) on January 21, 2026, the control rods were removed, thus initiating the reactor startup. As approximately 14 years have passed since the plant's last operation, we carefully verified the integrity of all installations," the company emphasized.
Also through the professional network, TEPCO's Global Communications Leader, Tatsuya Matoba, highlighted that, given the decarbonization goals and the challenges associated with energy security, ensuring a stable supply of carbon-free electricity remains a central theme in Japan.
“At the same time, as a TEPCO employee, I am fully aware of the profound responsibility we bear following the Fukushima Daiichi accident, as well as the diverse opinions surrounding nuclear energy. With this in mind, safety must be something we continue to demonstrate through rigorous checks, transparency, and concrete actions,” Matoba stated.
Despite operational progress, the resumption of operations at the plant still faces local resistance. According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), approximately 60% of residents in the region oppose the reactivation of the nuclear complex, while 37% are in favor, according to a survey conducted in September 2025.
Catastrophe changes the nuclear paradigm in the world.
The Fukushima Daiichi accident in March 2011 is considered one of the most serious in the history of nuclear energy. The event was triggered by a magnitude 9,0 earthquake, followed by a tsunami that struck the northeastern coast of Japan, causing the total loss of electricity supply and cooling systems at the plant.
Due to a cooling failure, three reactors began to overheat, leading to the partial meltdown of nuclear fuel and explosions that damaged containment buildings. The incident resulted in the release of radioactive material into the environment and the evacuation of more than 150 people from nearby areas.
Classified as level 7 on the International Nuclear Event Scale, the same level as the Chernobyl disaster, the accident did not cause immediate deaths from radiation exposure, but it generated long-term environmental, social, and economic impacts. Large areas remained closed off for years, and the decontamination process is still ongoing.
The incident also had profound effects on global energy policy. Several countries revised their nuclear safety criteria, while others, such as Germany, opted to accelerate the shutdown of their plants. In Japan, the accident led to the temporary shutdown of a large part of the nuclear power plants and intensified the debate on operational safety and risk management in the energy generation sector.
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