Tepco to delay restart of Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, NHK reports

[TOKYO] Tokyo Electric Power will delay the restart of its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, which was originally scheduled for Jan 20, public broadcaster NHK reported on Monday, after an alarm malfunction.

It would have been the first reactor restart for Tepco since its Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was hit by a powerful tsunami in 2011. The company had planned to restart the Unit No.6 at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa on Jan 20 and Unit No. 7 around 2030, as Japan seeks greater energy security and lower fossil fuel import costs.

NHK, citing sources, said the delay was due to an alarm malfunction that occurred during equipment testing over the weekend and the new restart date should be within a few days.

A Tepco spokesperson said the company was examining the impact of the malfunction. It plans to hold a press conference later on Monday.

Kashiwazaki-Kariwa’s total capacity is 8.2 gigawatts. Tepco has planned to resume commercial operations of reactor No. 6, which has 1.36 GW capacity, on Feb 26. REUTERS