EDITORIAL | Support Atomic Energy If We Want Clean Electricity

October 26 marked the 60th year since the establishment of Atomic Energy Day. As if in response to this anniversary, new developments are presaging the restart of more nuclear power stations.

There are plans under consideration to reactivate nuclear power stations in northeast and central Japan. Tohoku Electric Power's Onagawa Nuclear Power Station Unit 2 (Miyagi Prefecture, 825,000 kilowatts) took the first steps in restarting on October 29. Chugoku Electric Power's Shimane Nuclear Power Station Unit 2 (Matsue City, 820,000 kilowatts) is considering doing the same.

We would note that both facilities employ boiling water reactors (BWRs). That is the same type as the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company.

These would be the first instances in which a BWR has been restarted since the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011. All 12 reactors restarted by Kyushu Electric Power, Kansai Electric Power, and Shikoku Electric Power have been pressurized water reactors (PWRs).

Progress Toward Restart

Operators of the Onagawa No 2 reactor had already completed the loading of uranium fuel into the reactor when they started up the reactor on October 29. Chugoku Electric Power started loading fuel into its Shimane Unit 2 reactor on October 28. It aims to restart the station in early December. 

Together, these two plants will contribute significantly to the steady supply of electricity to their respective regions. 

TEPCO's Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Station Unit 7 (Niigata Prefecture, 1.356 million kilowatts) is another BWR facility. It also completed fuel loading in April. However, it is still waiting for approval from Niigata Governor Hideyo Hanazumi before the reactor can be restarted. Hopefully, the restart of the Onagawa and Shimane power stations will give a boost to this and other restart efforts. 

Atomic Energy Day was decided upon at a Cabinet meeting in July 1964. It was chosen because that was the day of the decision to join the International Atomic Energy Agency in 1956. In addition, it marks the first successful nuclear power generation in Japan by the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute's Power Demonstration Reactor in 1963. Both of these events occurred on October 26.

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Only for Peaceful Purposes 

Let us remember that Japan was a victim of atomic bombs during World War II. It became filled with the determination and pride to use atomic energy for peaceful purposes through the power of science and technology. 

October 26 is a powerful anniversary marking Japan's commitment to this peaceful use. However, Atomic Energy Day has been largely overlooked since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident in 2011.

In recent years, the usefulness of nuclear power generation has become better understood around the world. This energy technology makes it possible to meet the increased electricity demand that powers economic growth. It is important for developed and emerging countries and also helps achieve decarbonization.

The 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 2023 also promoted nuclear power generation as a low-emissions technology. This was explicitly called for in the COP28 outcome document.

If Japan misreads the changing energy situation, it will fall behind the rest of the world. Atomic Energy Day continues to hold importance and provides an opportunity to reflect on nuclear energy's peaceful use. 

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(Read the editorial in Japanese.)

Author: Editorial Board, The Sankei Shimbun