Latest news with #HideyoHanazumi
Japan Times
30-06-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Niigata holds first public hearing on nuclear reactor restart plan
Niigata Prefecture has held the first public hearing, attended by residents, on the advisability of restarting reactors at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings' Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant. Sixteen residents of the two municipalities hosting the plant, the city of Kashiwazaki and the village of Kariwa, attended the session held Sunday. Chosen by open application or through recommendations from relevant organizations, the participants shared their opinions online for some 10 minutes each. Only the consent of local communities is now required for the reactor restart. The plant's No. 6 and No. 7 reactors have already passed safety screenings by the Nuclear Regulation Authority and are fully loaded with nuclear fuel. An emergency evacuation plan has also been approved. Niigata Gov. Hideyo Hanazumi plans to hold four more such hearings by the end of August as a basis for deciding whether to approve the restart. Mixed views were shown in Sunday's session. A man in his 40s backed the restart, saying, "Supporting the economy of the capital area (of Tokyo and its vicinity) with electricity generated by the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant will directly lead to galvanizing the economy of Niigata." Another man in the same age group said, "I think many residents would approve (the restart) if Niigata is added to Tepco's service area and cheaper electricity is supplied to Kashiwazaki and Kariwa from the nuclear power plant." The prefecture currently receives electricity from Tohoku Electric Power. Meanwhile, a man in his 70s said, "It would be preposterous to bring the reactors back online before an evacuation route is built." A man in his 40s told reporters after the session that the public hearing was "very good because there had not been many opportunities for supporters of the restart to express their views." Still, a woman in her 70s who opposes the restart said, "Given the diversity of opinions, I'm skeptical that a consensus can be reached through such public hearings."
30-06-2025
- Politics
Niigata Holds 1st Public Hearing on N-Reactor Restart Plan
News from Japan Jun 30, 2025 17:35 (JST) Niigata, June 30 (Jiji Press)--Niigata Prefecture has held the first public hearing, attended by residents, on the advisability of restarting reactors at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.'s Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in the central Japan prefecture. Sixteen residents of the two municipalities hosting the plant, the city of Kashiwazaki and the village of Kariwa, attended the session held Sunday. Chosen by open application or through recommendations from relevant organizations, the participants shared their opinions online for some 10 minutes each. Only the consent of local communities is now required for the reactor restart. The plant's No. 6 and No. 7 reactors have already passed safety screenings by the Nuclear Regulation Authority and are fully loaded with nuclear fuel. An emergency evacuation scheme has also been approved. Niigata Governor Hideyo Hanazumi plans to hold four more such hearings by the end of August as a basis for deciding whether to approve the restart. Mixed views were shown in Sunday's session. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
Japan Today
27-06-2025
- Business
- Japan Today
Gov't OKs Niigata nuclear plant evacuation plans; restart in sight
(From L) Reactors No. 5, 6 and 7 of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear complex operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc in Niigata Prefecture The Japanese government Friday approved evacuation plans in the event of an accident at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in central Japan, marking a vital step toward restarting the facility which has been offline since the 2011 Fukushima disaster. Obtaining consent for the restart from residents in Niigata Prefecture, where the complex is located, remains a final hurdle. Plans for the facility operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc were approved at a nuclear disaster prevention meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. Niigata Gov Hideyo Hanazumi has yet to reveal his position on the matter, with public hearings still to be held. TEPCO has positioned the plant's restart as a pillar of its strategy to lower power generation costs and secure funds to compensate those affected by the March 2011 quake-tsunami disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Of the two reactors at the facility that have passed reviews by the Nuclear Regulation Authority, TEPCO has said it will prioritize starting the No. 6 reactor. The evacuation plan covers an area within a 30-kilometer radius of the plant. Approximately 416,000 people across nine municipalities would evacuate to designated sites in the prefecture in the event of an accident or a natural disaster. In winter, residents may be asked to stay indoors until evacuation routes are secured, given the high levels of snowfall the area receives. Alternate evacuation routes are set in case main routes are cut by natural disasters. © KYODO
The Mainichi
27-06-2025
- Business
- The Mainichi
Japan gov't OKs Niigata nuclear plant evacuation plans, restart in sight
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Japanese government Friday approved evacuation plans in the event of an accident at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in central Japan, marking a vital step toward restarting the facility which has been offline since the 2011 Fukushima disaster. Obtaining consent for the restart from residents in Niigata Prefecture, where the complex is located, remains a final hurdle. Plans for the facility operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. were approved at a nuclear disaster prevention meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. Niigata Gov. Hideyo Hanazumi has yet to reveal his position on the matter, with public hearings still to be held. TEPCO has positioned the plant's restart as a pillar of its strategy to lower power generation costs and secure funds to compensate those affected by the March 2011 quake-tsunami disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Of the two reactors at the facility that have passed reviews by the Nuclear Regulation Authority, TEPCO has said it will prioritize starting the No. 6 reactor. The evacuation plan covers an area within a 30-kilometer radius of the plant. Approximately 416,000 people across nine municipalities would evacuate to designated sites in the prefecture in the event of an accident or a natural disaster. In winter, residents may be asked to stay indoors until evacuation routes are secured, given the high levels of snowfall the area receives. Alternate evacuation routes are set in case main routes are cut by natural disasters.
Japan Today
11-06-2025
- Business
- Japan Today
TEPCO tweaks plan to restart reactors at Niigata nuclear plant
Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc, whose nuclear reactors have remained offline since the 2011 Fukushima disaster, plans to revise its strategy for restarting reactors in central Japan, sources familiar with the matter said. TEPCO is now preparing to restart the No. 6 unit of its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa complex in Niigata Prefecture, one of the world's largest nuclear power plants by output capacity, aiming to finish preparations in August, they said. The company had previously planned to restart the No. 7 reactor even though the unit will have to be halted in October to implement anti-terrorism safety measures. TEPCO expected the No. 7 reactor's operation would help meet an expected rise in power demand during summer. The change in plans comes as the company's prospects for gaining local consent to resume operation of the plant on the Sea of Japan coast remain uncertain, according to the sources. Niigata Gov Hideyo Hanazumi has yet to consent to the plant's operation, pending a series of public hearings on the matter this summer. TEPCO began loading nuclear fuel into the No. 6 reactor on Tuesday, the sources said. Taking steps to protect nuclear plants from terrorist attacks became mandatory under the stricter safety standards implemented by the Nuclear Regulation Authority after the nuclear disaster at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi plant triggered by a massive earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. TEPCO aims to complete anti-terrorism measures for the No. 7 unit by August 2029. As for the No. 6 reactor, TEPCO has until September 2029 to implement these measures, and it can continue operating until that time, pending local approval. The utility and the government had planned to have at least one unit in operation at the complex from summer to meet rising electricity demand and lower dependence on fossil fuel power generation. The Nuclear Regulation Authority imposed a de facto ban on the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant in 2021 after it was found to be vulnerable to unauthorized entry at multiple locations, but the authority lifted the ban after security measures were improved. © KYODO
