Tepco Halts Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Restart Hours After Start Over Alarm

Overview

• Reactor No. 6 at the Niigata complex began startup at 7:02 p.m. local time on Jan. 21, marking Tepco’s first move to bring a reactor online since 2011.
• A monitoring-system alarm prompted a preventive suspension of the startup procedures; the reactor is stable and the company reports no radiation release.
• Tepco says it is investigating the cause of the alarm and has not provided a timeline to resume the process.
• The plant has undergone extensive safety upgrades including a 15-meter tsunami seawall and elevated emergency power systems under tightened post-Fukushima rules.
• The restart drive reflects a government push to cut fossil-fuel imports, even as a Niigata survey found about 60% opposed and protesters gathered near the plant entrance.