The governor of Japan’s northernmost prefecture Hokkaido has officially approved the restart of the No. 3 reactor at the Tomari nuclear power plant.
Governor Suzuki Naomichi told the prefectural assembly on Wednesday he has considered the matter carefully, after listening to the opinions of the people of Hokkaido, municipalities and assembly members.
He explained that the No. 3 reactor conforms with the new regulations for nuclear plants introduced by the Nuclear Regulation Authority after the 2011 Fukushima accident.
He added that Hokkaido Electric Power Company is expected to lower electricity bills after the restart.
He said he has therefore decided to agree to bringing the reactor back online.
Four local municipalities, including the village that hosts the Tomari plant, have already announced their approval of the restart.
Suzuki will convey his decision to the central government to complete the procedure for local approval.
Hokkaido Electric will build a seawall and make other preparations.
The utility aims to restart the No. 3 reactor as early as possible in 2027.
AloJapan.com