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Yomiuri Shimbun
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yomiuri Shimbun
‘Approval' of Tomari nuclear power plant: Early restart will support industry
A stable supply of inexpensive electricity is important not only for household finances but also from the perspective of industrial competitiveness. The restart of nuclear power plants that have been shut down in various locations should be expedited. The Nuclear Regulation Authority has acknowledged that the No. 3 reactor of the Tomari nuclear power plant, which is operated by Hokkaido Electric Power Co., has effectively passed the NRA's safety screening. The power company aims to restart the reactor in 2027, and it is expected to significantly improve the region's power supply capacity. The Tomari plant had supplied about 40% of the electricity consumed in Hokkaido, but it was shut down in May 2012 following the accident at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. Currently, Hokkaido relies on thermal power generation for about 80% of its electricity, creating an unbalanced power structure. Hokkaido Electric has reinforced its facilities, including with the use of emergency generators and pump trucks, in order to comply with new regulatory standards established after the accident. A 19-meter-high seawall is also under construction. It is hoped that every possible measure will be taken to ensure safety. Hokkaido's electricity demand was once expected to continue to fall due to the declining population and advances in energy-saving technologies. However, in recent years, there have been a series of plans to build semiconductor factories and data centers, and there are now concerns that there will be a power shortage. Rapidus Corp., a domestic manufacturer of cutting-edge semiconductors, will begin mass production at its factory in Chitose, Hokkaido, in 2027. SoftBank Corp. will build a new data center in Tomakomai in the prefecture. Given these increases in demand, the restart of the Tomari plant, including the No. 1 and No. 2 reactors, which are currently undergoing safety screenings, is essential. In July 2013, Hokkaido Electric applied for the safety screening to restart the Tomari plant shortly after it was shut down. However, the screening was prolonged due to uncertainty over the existence of active faults on the site, resulting in it taking nearly 12 years. During that time, the 2018 Hokkaido earthquake, which hit the prefecture's eastern Iburi region, caused a large thermal power plant to shut down, resulting in a power outage across the entire prefecture. Russia's aggression against Ukraine has led to a global surge in prices of liquefied natural gas, which is used as fuel for thermal power generation. Electricity rates tend to be cheaper in areas where nuclear power plants have already resumed operations, creating a disparity with areas where operations have not resumed. If the Tomari plant resumes operations, electricity rates are likely to decrease in the future. Restarting nuclear power plants will reduce carbon dioxide emissions and help combat global warming. Furthermore, it will meet the security demands for securing energy needed domestically. In the case of the Tomari plant, the screening process took a long time. While preventing serious accidents is obviously important, the disadvantages of keeping nuclear power plants shut down are also significant. Improving the efficiency of safety screenings and shortening the screening period are also important issues. (From The Yomiuri Shimbun, May 1, 2025)
The Mainichi
30-04-2025
- Business
- The Mainichi
Hokkaido nuclear reactor clears Japan's safety review for restart
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Nuclear Regulation Authority effectively endorsed on Wednesday the restart of a reactor at the sole nuclear power plant on Japan's northern main island of Hokkaido, approving a draft report that concluded the reactor had cleared its safety review. With semiconductor and data center businesses projected to boost the prefecture's electricity demand, Hokkaido Electric Power Co. plans to restart the Tomari plant's No. 3 unit, Japan's newest reactor, after completing the construction of a seawall by around March 2027, among other mandatory safety measures. After the company applied for the review in July 2013, the authority checked whether the utility's plan satisfies its new safety standards, enforced following the 2011 nuclear accident in Fukushima Prefecture triggered by a massive earthquake and tsunami. The focus of the review included whether geologic faults on the premises of the power plant were active. The nuclear watchdog is still reviewing the safety of the No. 1 and No. 2 reactors. Hokkaido Electric has upgraded its quake-resistant design for the facilities to cope with more intense acceleration of seismic waves -- from up to 550 gals to 693 gals -- and raised the height of potential tsunami it can withstand from 7.3 meters to 17.8 meters. The utility had built a 16.5-meter-high seawall in 2014, but it will raise it to 19 meters based on the regulatory body's advice on the possibility of liquefaction of soil. The reactor will also be ready for an accumulation of volcanic ash to a depth of 40 centimeters. The cost of construction related to safety measures for the No. 3 reactor, which started operation in December 2009, has ballooned to about 515 billion yen ($3.6 billion) from over 90 billion yen for all three reactors. The Tomari power station began the operation of the No. 1 reactor in 1989 and the No. 2 unit in 1991, but all three reactors had halted by May 2012 under the stricter safety regulations implemented after the nuclear disaster. The Sapporo District Court ordered the Tomari nuclear power plant to remain offline in May 2022 due to safety concerns. The case is currently being heard at the Sapporo High Court.
Bloomberg
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Japan Approves First Restart of a Nuclear Reactor in Four Years
Japan's atomic watchdog cleared the first nuclear restart since 2021, a shot in the arm for the government's effort to increase power generation from the energy source and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority on Wednesday approved a preliminary report saying Hokkaido Electric Power Co.'s Tomari No. 3 reactor meets post-Fukushima safety rules, according to a live stream of the hearing. Hokkaido Electric's president said in March that he expected the unit to restart in 2027.
