Japan’s Kansai Electric Power Company has announced that it will restart the 780 MW Unit 1 of the Takahama nuclear power plant on 2 August 2023, before resuming commercial operation on 28 August 2023. The reactor, which was mothballed since the Fukushima accident in 2011, will be the oldest operating reactor in Japan, as it was commissioned in 1974.
The 3.2 GW Takahama power plant, located in central Japan's Fukui Prefecture, has three other reactors. Unit 2 (780 MW, commissioned in 1975) is mothballed while Units 3 and 4, both rated 830 MW and commissioned in 1985, are currently operational.
In June 2023, the Japanese parliament enacted a law to allow nuclear reactors in Japan to operate beyond their current limit of 60 years, in order to help cut greenhouse gas emissions and ensure a sufficient energy supply for the country. In February 2023, the Japanese Government had approved a new policy that paves the way for the construction of new advanced nuclear reactors in the country. Japan’s reliance on nuclear power was reduced following the Fukushima accident, dropping from 25% of the power mix in 2010 to 1% in 2015, and back to 6.7% in 2021. Before the accident, there were 54 reactors spread over 17 power plants (49 GW in 2010 against 33 GW in 2021).
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