TOKYO: The Japanese Nuclear Regulation Authority has lifted the ban on the operation of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa NPP, the world’s biggest nuclear power plant, after an almost three-year prohibition, Yoshimasa Hayashi, a top spokesman in the Japanese prime minister’s cabinet, said on Wednesday, reported Sputnik.
In 2021, the Nuclear Regulation Authority banned the transfer of nuclear materials to the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture after a series of violations related to the facility’s anti-terrorism measures.
“Today, the Nuclear Regulation Authority lifted an order banning the transfer of nuclear materials. The government respects the scientific and technical decision of the independent Nuclear Regulation Authority and, on primary condition of observing safety, intends to provide explanations on its necessity and meaning (of the plant’s restart) to Niigata Prefecture and local authorities to achieve their understanding for the relaunch of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa NPP,“ Hayashi told a news conference.
The investigation of the detected violations of the handling of nuclear materials at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa NPP took almost three years, the top cabinet spokesman added.
The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa NPP is the largest nuclear generating station in the world by net electrical power rating. It has the capacity of 8,212 megawatt. - Bernama, Sputnik
