Japan to restart world's biggest nuclear plant, faces public criticism

The worlds biggest nuclear power plant is set to restart on Wednesday for the first time since the 2011 Fukushima disaster its Japanese operator said despite persistent safety concerns among residentsThe governor of Niigata province where the KashiwazakiKariwa plant is located approved its resumption last month although public opinion remains sharply divided After receving the final green light Wednesday Tokyo Electric Power TEPCO said they were proceeding with preparations and plan to remove the control rods after 700 pm today and start up the reactorOn Tuesday a few dozen protesters mostly elderly braved freezing temperatures to demonstrate in the snow near the plants entrance whose buildings line the Sea of Japan coast Its Tokyos electricity that is produced in Kashiwazaki so why should the people here be put at risk That makes no sense Yumiko Abe a 73yearold resident told AFP Around 60 percent of residents oppose the restart while 37 percent support it according to a survey conducted in SeptemberKashiwazakiKariwa is the worlds biggest nuclear power plant by potential capacity although just one reactor of seven is restarting Wednesday The facility was taken offline when Japan pulled the plug on nuclear power after a colossal earthquake and tsunami sent three reactors at the Fukushima atomic plant into meltdown in 2011However resourcepoor Japan now wants to revive atomic energy to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and meet growing energy needs from artificial intelligence Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has voiced support for the energy sourceFourteen reactors mostly in western and southern Japan have resumed operation since the postFukushima shutdown under strict safety rules with 13 running as of mid January The KashiwazakiKariwa unit would be the first run by Tokyo Electric power TEPCO which also operates the stricken Fukushima Daiichi plant now being decommissioned to restart since 2011 Nearly fifteen years after the disaster the situation is still not under control in Fukushima and TEPCO wants to revive a plant For me thats absolutely unacceptable said Keisuke Abe an 81yearold demonstratorAnxious and fearfulThe vast KashiwazakiKariwa complex has been fitted with a 15metrehigh 50foot tsunami wall elevated emergency power systems and other safety upgrades However residents raised concerns about the risk of a serious accident citing frequent coverup scandals minor accidents and evacuation plans they say are inadequateI think itrsquos impossible to evacuate in an emergency Chie Takakuwa a 79yearold resident of Kariwa told AFPOn January 8 seven groups opposing the restart submitted a petition signed by nearly 40000 people to TEPCO and Japans Nuclear Regulation Authority The petition said the plant sits on an active seismic fault zone and noted it was struck by a strong quake in 2007We cant remove the fear of being hit by another unforeseen earthquake it saidMaking many people anxious and fearful so as to send electricity to Tokyois intolerableBefore the 2011 disaster which killed around 18000 people nuclear power generated about a third of Japans electricityString of scandalsJapans nuclear industry has also faced a string of scandals and incidents in recent weeks including data falsification by Chubu Electric Power to underestimate seismic risksAt KashiwazakiKariwa TEPCO said Saturday that an alarm system failed during a test Safety is an ongoing process which means operators involved in nuclear power must never be arrogant or overconfident TEPCO President Tomoaki Kobayakawa said in an interview with the Asahi dailyJapan is the worlds fifthlargest singlecountry emitter of carbon dioxide after China the United States India and Russia and is heavily dependent on imported fossil fuels Nearly 70 percent of its electricity in 2023 came from coal gas and oil a share Tokyo wants to slash to 3040 percent over the next 15 years as it expands renewable energy and nuclear powerUnder a plan approved by the government in February nuclear power will account for around a fifth of Japans energy supply by 2040 up from around 85 percent in the fiscal year 202324Meanwhile Japan still faces the daunting task of decommissioning the Fukushima plant a project expected to take decadesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever