The newly elected governor of the Niigata Prefecture of Japan has expressed caution about restarting the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant operated by Japanese power utility Tokyo Electric (TEPCO).
The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant is the world's largest nuclear power plant, with seven units and a total capacity of 7,965 MW (five 1,067 MW units commissioned between 1985 and 1989 and two 1,315 MW units commissioned in 1996). All units have been idled since March 2012. TEPCO has applied to the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) for safety inspections on two of the reactors at the plant.
Reactivating one of the units would enable TEPCO to save around Yen 100bn (US$961m) per year in fuel costs; the company is currently making profits thanks to low oil prices but concerns will continue to mount over TEPCO's finances as long as nuclear units are still shut down.
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