NIIGATA--Niigata Governor Hirohiko Izumida on Jan. 6 remained adamantly opposed to restarting the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant and chided the president of the plant operator over the company’s response to the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
NIIGATA--Niigata Governor Hirohiko Izumida on Jan. 6 remained adamantly opposed to restarting the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant and chided the president of the plant operator over the company’s response to the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
Naomi Hirose, president of Tokyo Electric Power Co., was seeking Izumida’s approval to bring two idle reactors at the plant back online, but he instead received criticism from the governor.
“(TEPCO) is taking a passive stance toward investigating the causes of the accident at its Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant,” Izumida told Hirose.
TEPCO in autumn 2013 applied to the Nuclear Regulation Authority for safety screenings of the No. 6 and No. 7 reactors at the plant in Niigata Prefecture. The company not only has to win approval from the NRA, but it also needs the green light from host communities--and the prefectural governor--to resume operations.
During their talks, Hirose asked Izumida to inspect the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant.
Izumida has repeatedly said he will not approve the reactor restarts unless TEPCO thoroughly examines the Fukushima nuclear accident, which unfolded after the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami in March 2011, and presents the results of its investigation.
He rejected Hirose’s request for an inspection.
“There has not been a sufficient investigation into the causes of the (Fukushima) accident nor in-house disciplinary actions, so we cannot stand at the starting line of discussions on safety,” the governor said.
TEPCO plans to upgrade its office in Niigata Prefecture to a local headquarters by July and increase the number of employees there from the current 20 or so.
The plan is designed to allow TEPCO to more effectively consult with local governments and residents in obtaining their consent for the reactor restarts.
TEPCO has forecast a net profit for the business year ending in March 2015, following widespread cost-cutting measures and reduced fuel costs.
TEPCO Chairman Fumio Sudo said in a news conference late last year that the company will forgo an additional electricity rate hike in 2015.
Sudo, however, also said the company could slip back into the red for the fiscal year ending in March 2016 if it cannot resume operations at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant.