TEPCO begins loading fuel into second Niigata nuclear reactor

Asahi Shimbun

2 days ago

From left: The No. 5, No. 6 and No. 7 reactors at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
Tokyo Electric Power Co. Holdings Inc. began loading a second reactor with fuel at its nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture, which may become its first reactor to be reactivated after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011.
The work started at the No. 6 reactor of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant around 1 p.m. on June 10 following the Nuclear Regulation Authority's approval at 11 a.m. the same day.
It will take about two weeks to complete loading 872 fuel assemblies.
When the necessary inspections are cleared, the reactor can be restarted anytime, at least technically.
However, it remains unclear whether the utility can obtain consent from the local communities.
'To win the trust of the host communities, it is important to show that we are safely making technical preparations,' TEPCO President Tomoaki Kobayakawa said of the fuel loading at a news conference in May.
TEPCO has sought to restart the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant to rebuild its operations following a triple meltdown at its Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant triggered by the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami in March 2011.
The company estimates that it can boost its annual earnings by 100 billion yen ($691 million) if a reactor is brought back online because fuel costs for thermal power plants will decline.
The seven-reactor Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant, which has been shut down since the 2011 accident, is TECPO's only nuclear power plant as it decided to decommission the Fukushima No. 1 and No. 2 plants.
The utility has aimed to first reactivate the No. 7 reactor, the newest of the seven, as early as this summer. It was loaded with fuel in April last year.
However, Niigata Governor Hideyo Hanazumi has not disclosed whether he will support the restart, saying he needs to hear the opinions of prefectural residents, including mayors of municipalities.
In addition, TEPCO in February postponed the completion date of an anti-terrorism facility for the reactor, a requirement for its restart, until August 2029—long past the NRA deadline of October.
An anti-terrorism facility for the No. 6 reactor has not been completed, either. But TEPCO can provisionally operate the reactor until September 2029, the NRA deadline for its anti-terrorism facility, if it gains consent from the local communities.
'There is a high likelihood that the No. 6 reactor will be brought back online first,' an industry ministry official said.
It now appears that TEPCO will seek to restart the No. 6 reactor after gaining consent from the local communities and reactivate the No. 7 reactor once its anti-terrorism facility is built in August 2029.
The No. 6 reactor would be shut down in September that year but could be restarted again if the utility completes its anti-terrorism facility in September 2031 in accordance with its revised schedule.
The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant, which straddles Kashiwazaki city and Kariwa village, is one of the world's largest nuclear power plants with a total power generating capacity of 8.21 million kilowatts.
The No. 6 and No. 7 reactors started commercial operations in November 1996 and July 1997, respectively. Both are advanced boiling water reactors, each capable of generating 1.35 million kilowatts.
The remaining five reactors, which started commercial operations between 1985 and 1994, are all conventional boiling water reactors capable of generating 1.1 million kilowatts individually.