Key facts
- TEPCO has developed an AI system to help with applications for restarting nuclear power plants.
- The AI system is expected to cut paperwork by 80%.
- Japan aims for nuclear power to supply at least 20% of its electricity by 2030.
- TEPCO restarted Unit 6 of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Station in January.
Tokyo Electric Power Co. Holdings (TEPCO) has developed an artificial intelligence system designed to expedite the application process for restarting nuclear power plants. This initiative aims to reduce the significant labor involved in processing the extensive documentation required for such restarts, with an expectation of slashing paperwork by 80% and addressing a shortage of specialized personnel in the industry.
More than 100 TEPCO specialists spent months reviewing approximately 70,000 pages of documents related to the restart of a nuclear reactor. Japan is in the process of rebuilding its nuclear power fleet, which previously supplied about a third of the country's electricity before the 2011 Fukushima disaster. The government views the restoration of nuclear power as crucial for energy security and meeting climate targets.
TEPCO recently restarted Unit 6 of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Station in Niigata Prefecture, which had been offline since March 2012. This restart brings the total number of operating nuclear plants in Japan to 15, with a combined generation capacity of about 33 GW. Unit 6, an advanced boiling water reactor with a capacity of 1,356 MW, is the first reactor TEPCO has restarted since the Fukushima accident, seen as a test of public trust in nuclear power.
The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant, once the world's largest nuclear facility, has a nameplate capacity of about 8.2 GW across seven reactors. Japan has a goal to increase nuclear power's contribution to its electricity mix to at least 20% by 2030, aiming to reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels like liquefied natural gas (LNG). Nuclear power currently accounts for 8% to 9% of Japan's electricity.
Analysts suggest the restart of Kashiwazaki-Kariwa is a significant step toward stabilizing Japan's power grid and lessening its dependence on imported energy. The Unit 6 restart is estimated to displace approximately 1.3 million tons of LNG imports annually. TEPCO stated it is meticulously verifying the integrity of each plant facility and will provide thorough information to the public throughout the startup process, prioritizing safety.