柏崎かしわざき刈羽かりわ原発げんぱつ “6号機ろくごうき再さい稼働かどう後ご 1いち～5号機ごごうき廃はい炉ろの判断はんだん前倒まえだおしへ”

Tokyo Electric Power Company has announced its policy to make a decision regarding the decommissioning of Units 1 to 5 at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant in Niigata Prefecture ahead of schedule, within less than two years after the restart of Unit 6, and to indicate its stance, including the possible decommissioning of some units.

On the 4th, this was revealed by Tomoaki Kobayakawa, President of Tokyo Electric Power Holdings, during a meeting with Masahiro Sakurai, Mayor of Kashiwazaki City in Niigata Prefecture, where the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant is located.

In this statement, President Kobayakawa indicated a policy to make decisions regarding Units 1 through 5—including the possibility of decommissioning some of them—ahead of schedule, within less than two years after the restart of Unit 6.

Kashiwazaki City is requesting that a clear decommissioning plan be established, with the aim of reducing the number of reactors and lowering the risk of accidents. In August last year, TEPCO indicated its intention to consider, within two years of restarting Units 6 and 7, the decommissioning of some of Units 1 to 5.

After that, as it became difficult to restart Unit 7 soon and the focus shifted to aiming for the restart of Unit 6 for the time being, the city requested Tokyo Electric Power Company to clearly state its revised policy.

At the meeting, Mayor Sakurai said, It is something that has been sincerely and thoroughly considered, and is basically understandable.

I consider this to be a clear indication of the intention to decommission part of the facility, and I appreciate it, he said.

Regarding the restart of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, gaining local consent has become a focal point. Governor Hanazumi of Niigata Prefecture has stated that, after conducting efforts to understand the opinions of the residents, he will present his decision on whether or not to approve the restart sometime after the end of next month.