Ruptly
"Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. (TEPCO) on Thursday resumed commercial operations at the No. 6 reactor of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, bringing the unit back online after a suspension of roughly 14 years. Footage shows TEPCO personnel conducting final procedures as the reactor was restarted. The facility, located northwest of Tokyo, returned to service nearly two months later than originally planned. The company said the reactor entered commercial mode at 4 PM local time after inspections confirmed no issues with the reactor, generator or turbine systems. A representative from the Nuclear Regulation Authority formally handed over certification following the final safety check to plant chief Takeyuki Inagaki. The restart marks the first time a TEPCO reactor has resumed full operations since the March 2011 disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which was triggered by a massive earthquake and tsunami. TEPCO continues to grapple with the costly decommissioning of Fukushima and compensation payouts. Restarting Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, which has a total generating capacity of 8.21 million kilowatts, is seen as key to reducing fuel expenses linked to its heavy dependence on thermal power. The reactor’s return had initially been slated for late February but was pushed back by about 50 days due to technical setbacks. The restart is seen as a key step toward easing growing global energy pressures driven by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which has led to soaring prices and fuel shortages. TEPCO said it plans to operate the unit until its next scheduled inspection in April 2027."
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