(Nov 28): The only nuclear plant on the Japanese island of Hokkaido has won the crucial endorsement of the local governor, bringing the restart of atomic power generation a step closer in the country’s northernmost region.
“I believe that using nuclear power is a realistic option,” Naomichi Suzuki, the governor of Hokkaido prefecture, said during a local legislative assembly session on Friday. His comments effectively clear the path for the resumption of Hokkaido Electric Power Co’s Tomari No 3 reactor, although formal steps will follow.
The restart of the unit — after a shutdown that has lasted more than a decade — will lead to lower electricity rates, ensure stable power supply and help reduce emissions, Suzuki said, adding that he planned to hear from local residents and visit the site to inspect safety measures.
Japan’s nuclear power industry, which stalled after reactors were forced to shut down in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster, has been watching the fate of the Hokkaido plant closely. Just a third of the nation’s 33 operable reactors have restarted under post-Fukushima safety rules, and always with the explicit support of the local government.
The approval last week by another local Japanese governor to restart the world’s largest nuclear power plant, Kashiwazaki Kariwa in Niigata prefecture, was a hugely symbolic moment for the country as it re-embraces atomic power and looks to slash carbon from its energy mix.
The resumption of the Tomari reactor will have a significant impact on power prices in Hokkaido, according to BloombergNEF. It is the only facility of its kind operated by Hokkaido Electric. Commissioned in 2009, the No 3 unit is the newest nuclear power plant in the country and was cleared for restart by the nation’s regulator in July.
Manufacturers are also banking on the Hokkaido facility to provide a stable supply of green electricity for a semiconductor chip plant currently under construction in the prefecture.
Hokkaido Electric is moving forward with the necessary safety construction for the plant, including a 19-metre (62-foot) seawall. The company’s president, Susumu Saito, said in March that the firm aims to restart unit No 3 in early 2027 and the plant’s other two units by first half of the 2030s.
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AloJapan.com