Japan's Hokkaido prefecture has approved the restart of Hokkaido Electric Power's (Hepco) Tomari nuclear power plant, removing the final hurdle to restarting the first reactor in the northernmost prefecture since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.
Hokkaido governor Naomichi Suzuki officially approved the restart of the 912MW Tomari No.3 reactor on 10 December, nearly two weeks after stating on 28 November that the use of nuclear power remains a practical option for the time being. His decision was supported by four local authorities — Tomari village, Kyowa town, Iwanai town and Kamoenai village — whose consent is also required to resume operations at the Tomari plant.
Approval from local governments is essential before any nuclear reactor restart in Japan, even when reactors meet stricter safety standards designed to prevent a repeat of the Fukushima-Daiichi reactor meltdown following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
The approval means the Tomari No.3 reactor is likely to restart once reinforcement work is completed, as the unit already received a safety clearance from Japan's nuclear regulation authority (NRA) in July. Hepco hopes to restart the reactor as early as possible in 2027.
The Tomari plant is Hepco's sole nuclear facility, comprising the 579MW No.1 and No.2 reactors in addition to No.3 unit. The No.1 and No.2 reactors are still undergoing the NRA safety inspections.
Hepco has been without nuclear power since May 2012, relying on thermal generation instead, which has increased costs. The utility consumed 1.78mn t of coal over April-September, up by 9.6pc from a year earlier, while oil usage edged up by 0.9pc to 3,884 b/d. LNG consumption fell by 61pc to 85,000t during the period, mainly because of maintenance at a gas-fired plant.
Hepco expects household electricity rates under regulated tariffs to fall by around 11pc following the planned restart of Tomari No.3 reactor. For non-regulated tariffs, overall rates are projected to decline by an average of 7pc, including roughly 11pc for low-voltage customers and about 6pc for high- and extra-high-voltage users.
