• TEPCO to restart one reactor at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, its first since Fukushima Daiichi accident in 2011
• Process in focus as other reactors await review
• Japan revives its nuclear industry but public acceptance, Chubu Elec restart issue clouds outlook

TOKYO, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) (9501.T) , opens new tab will restart on Wednesday a reactor at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant after inspections were completed, its first such move since the Fukushima disaster in 2011.

TEPCO said it would put online after 7 p.m. (1000 GMT) the 1.36 gigawatt (GW) reactor No. 6, one of seven at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, the world's biggest nuclear power station capable of producing 8.2 GW of electricity when at full capacity.

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The restart was delayed from January 20 as TEPCO was investigating an alarm malfunction. As of early Wednesday, the equipment in question was functioning normally, TEPCO said.

Reactor No. 6 is expected to restart commercial operation, boosting the power supply in the Tokyo area - Japan's busiest - by the end of February. Reactor No. 7 is expected to be brought online around 2030 and some others could be decommissioned.

The revival of Kashiwazaki-Kariwa brings the total number of reactors in Japan currently restarted to 15, out of the 33 reactors that remain operable after the shutdown of Japan's entire fleet of 54 reactors in the wake of TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi reactor meltdown in 2011.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is pushing for the construction of new reactors, especially new-generation and small modular reactors (SMRs), with the government recently announcing a new public funding scheme to accelerate a nuclear power comeback.

After setbacks in its offshore wind roll-out and inflation pressure from fossil fuel imports, Japan is switching its attention to nuclear power again to boost energy security and reduce gas and coal purchases.

Kashiwazaki-Kariwa's restart, the first for TEPCO since the Fukushima disaster, is a major test for the entire Japanese nuclear power industry, as six reactors operated by other utilities, including Chubu Electric Power Co (9502.T) , opens new tab, are awaiting regulatory decisions on their potential restarts.

The developments are also in focus as Japan seeks to boost cooperation with the U.S., its closest ally, on new-generation nuclear reactors and SMRs, with the global atomic industry largely dominated by China and Russia.

This month, Japan's nuclear watchdog said it would order Chubu Electric to provide a detailed report on falsified seismic data and pause a review of the utility's application to restart Hamaoka, its only atomic plant, as public support for greater usage of nuclear power remains divided.

Commodity analysts at Kpler expect liquefied natural gas imports by Japan, one of the world's top buyers along with China, to drop by 4 million metric tons in 2026 from a year earlier to 62 million tons due to higher nuclear power availability and if Unit No. 6 comes commercially online early this year.

https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/tepco-could-restart-kashiwazaki-kariwa-nuclear-power-plant-wednesday-kyodo-2026-01-21/