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Gov’t OKs Niigata nuclear plant evacuation plans; restart in sight

The Japanese government Friday approved evacuation plans in the event of an accident at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in central Japan, marking a vital step toward restarting the facility which has been offline since the 2011 Fukushima disaster.

Obtaining consent for the restart from residents in Niigata Prefecture, where the complex is located, remains a final hurdle. Plans for the facility operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc were approved at a nuclear disaster prevention meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

Niigata Gov Hideyo Hanazumi has yet to reveal his position on the matter, with public hearings still to be held.

TEPCO has positioned the plant’s restart as a pillar of its strategy to lower power generation costs and secure funds to compensate those affected by the March 2011 quake-tsunami disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

Of the two reactors at the facility that have passed reviews by the Nuclear Regulation Authority, TEPCO has said it will prioritize starting the No. 6 reactor.

The evacuation plan covers an area within a 30-kilometer radius of the plant.

Approximately 416,000 people across nine municipalities would evacuate to designated sites in the prefecture in the event of an accident or a natural disaster. In winter, residents may be asked to stay indoors until evacuation routes are secured, given the high levels of snowfall the area receives.

Alternate evacuation routes are set in case main routes are cut by natural disasters.

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