It is one of Japan’s industrial jewels. The Kashiwazaki Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant is the most powerful nuclear power plant in the world. It can generate energy of 8.2 GWh, which can cover the needs of 13 million homes. Once at the heart of a national plan to increase nuclear power to 50% of the country’s energy mix, the plant is today unused.
For 13 years, no watt has come out of the site’s seven reactors, says Bloomberg. This sudden shutdown was decided by the Japanese government in the wake of the Fukushima disaster. A tsunami hit the country’s east coast, causing the cores of three reactors to melt and a spent fuel pool to overheat. With the direct consequence of dumping radioactive waste into the Pacific Ocean.
The ten most dangerous beaches in the world
The incident was classified 7 on the International Nuclear Event Scale, the highest level. Only the Chernobyl nuclear disaster had previously reached this rank.
The consequences of the tsunami: a colossal bill of 172 billion dollars
Faced with disaster, Japan chose to scrap its plans and make nuclear energy a much less important source of energy than initially planned. This reversal transformed into a shutdown of production in almost all of the country’s nuclear power plants. Of the 33 operable Japanese reactors, only 12 have resumed normal operation since the Fukushima accident.
This decision still weighs on the Japanese economy since the country is forced to import a large part of its energy. Last year, the bill was $172 billion. Above all, by falling back on other sources of energy, Japan has become a bad student of the energy transition with a dependence on fossil energy.
Except that today, electricity is a critical resource for Japan. With the semiconductor market booming and the emergence of artificial intelligence, the island country is seeking to attract players in these fields. But these sectors of activity are particularly energy-intensive.
A debate around the reopening of Kashiwazaki Kariwa therefore divides the country. Notably because the site is owned by Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), the operator in charge of the Fukushima power plant during the disaster.
Two of the plant’s reactors have been authorized to restart since 2017
Above all, this reopening would go in the direction of a global enthusiasm for nuclear energy. By 2030, 24% of electricity from nuclear power should be produced compared to 2022, and 140% by 2050. Japan could even become a leading figure with such an installation.
“It is very important for Japan to be able to count on Kashiwazaki Kariwa again”assures Bloomberg Rafael Mariano Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency. “How many countries have this spare capacity? Many countries would like to have it.”
Nuclear energy production has the advantage of providing continuous electricity, unlike wind or solar energy. However, it takes more than ten years to build a power plant and their current operation – nuclear fission – requires management of irradiated fuel for thousands of years.
It is now up to local authorities to decide whether the largest nuclear power plant in the world should return to service. In 2017, two of Kashiwazaki Kariwa’s seven reactors were allowed to restart by the national nuclear regulator. But nothing has been decided since.
And if this choice is so difficult, it is because the signals are not entirely green. Several episodes brought fears to the surface. And this, even before the Fukushima disaster. In 2007, an earthquake led to a radioactive product leak. The concerns caused at the time could only have been amplified by the 2011 tsunami.
Nuclear power is expected to represent 20 to 22% of Japan’s energy mix in 2030
But in 2021, Tepco was banned from operating the Kashiwazaki Kariwa power plant. The reason? An intrusion by an employee into the central control room with the badge of another member of staff. The company has since regained its operating rights in December 2023, with major security announcements.
Now it is not only the largest nuclear power plant in the world, but also the safest, its website claims. In particular, it is planned to erect 15 m high dikes all around the site, place anti-flood barriers and build a reservoir to accommodate 20,000 tonnes of water.
In June, the regional assembly of Niigata Prefecture will meet. She can then decide whether or not to restart the plant. But this time, the country seems determined to give nuclear power another chance. By 2030, this energy source should account for 20 to 22% of the country’s mix, according to the objectives set by the government.
For this, ten reactors would need to resume service in the country. The two operable plants at the Kashiwazaki Kariwa power plant are among them. In March, the Minister of Commerce (who oversees energy) sent a senior official to speak with the governor of Niigita. At the same time, Tepco resupplied unit 7 of its plant with nuclear fuel for the first time since 2011.
Between past trauma and economic pressure, nuclear energy seems like a way out for Japan. But the difficulty lies in the way in which the battles to be fought are prioritized: on the one hand the risk incurred by the inhabitants, on the other hand global warming. While knowing that the climate also weighs on the health of the Japanese.
This article was originally published on July 22.
Related News :