Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority on Wednesday approved the safety review of Hokkaido Electric Power’s 
9509 No.3 reactor at the Tomari nuclear power station following more than 12 years of review, a prerequisite for it restarting operations.
The reactor closed in 2012 as part of a broader push to improve safety in the wake of a massive earthquake the previous year that disabled cooling systems at Tokyo Electric Power Co’s 
9501 Fukushima Daiichi plant, causing the world’s worst radioactive material leakage in 25 years.
At its regular meeting, the NRA concluded that safety measures at the Tomari reactor met the new regulatory standards and that the plant had passed the examination, a spokesperson said.
The focus will now shift to securing local community consent for the restart. Hokkaido Electric plans to complete construction of a seawall by March 2027 and aims to restart the 912-megawatt reactor as soon as possible thereafter, a company spokesperson said.
Japan remains heavily dependent on fossil fuel imports, and the government is pushing for a greater role for nuclear power in the country’s energy mix and energy security.
The country currently operates more than a dozen reactors, with a combined capacity of around 12 gigawatts. Many others are undergoing relicensing to meet stricter safety standards implemented after the Fukushima disaster. Before 2011, Japan had 54 operating reactors.
Despite the challenges faced by the industry since then, Japan aims for nuclear power to provide 20–22% of its electricity mix by 2030. In 2023, nuclear accounted for 8.5% of the nation’s power supply.
AloJapan.com