Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear reactor officially restarts, and how that feels living nearby

As someone living in Niigata, it's hard to ignore the news right now about the restarting of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant. It happened just after 7pm last night, making it the first time any TEPCO nuclear reactor has come back online since the Fukushima disaster in 2011. Even if you're not living in the prefecture, I do think the restart is something that makes people look at how they feel about energy, safety, and trust.

The restart was originally planned for January 20th, but it got delayed after a control rod test malfunctioned and an alarm failed to go off. Fairly quickly after some additional inspections and approval from the Nuclear Regulation Authority, TEPCO ended up going ahead. If things stay on track, the reactor should gradually ramp up and start full power transmission later this month, with commercial operations penciled in for late February.

What struck me most were the mixed reactions from locals surveyed, which were reported on by NHK. Some people feel nuclear power is necessary right now, while others are uneasy about how quickly the green light was given after a technical issue. I personally fit into the latter of the two. One man summed it up pretty well: good for the economy, maybe, but still a little too early on safety.