Restart of Tomari N-plant Reactor: Stimulation of Local Economy Would be Significant

Editorial

14:53 JST, December 11, 2025

Securing a stable and inexpensive electric power source and stimulating the economy are highly important. Nuclear power plants are a trump card in achieving a decarbonized society. Making steady progress in restarting reactors is crucial.

Hokkaido Gov. Naomichi Suzuki has announced his approval for the restart of a reactor at Hokkaido Electric Power Co.’s Tomari nuclear power plant. This means local consent has been secured, including from the host village and three other municipalities. HEPCO intends to aim for an early 2027 restart of the No. 3 reactor, which has cleared safety screenings by the nuclear regulator.

The Tomari plant has the Nos. 1-3 reactors. Following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, they were sequentially shut down, finishing in May 2012.

HEPCO applied to the Nuclear Regulation Authority for the safety screenings in July 2013. However, due to providing insufficient explanations and other issues, it took a record 12 years to clear the screenings.

Given the tremendous damage caused by the accident at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc.’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, thorough measures to prevent a recurrence are essential.

Suzuki approved the restart, citing benefits, such as a stable power supply, lower electricity bills and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. HEPCO must take the governor’s decision seriously and ensure thorough preparations, including the construction of seawalls, to dispel residents’ concerns.

Public opinion regarding nuclear power plants shows signs of change. A stable energy supply is threatened by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, and there is also an international obligation to advance decarbonization efforts. Preventing factories from relocating overseas due to high electricity bills is a serious challenge.

The broader understanding on restarting the reactor due to these circumstances may have boosted the governor’s decision.

The stimulating impact on Hokkaido’s economy would be particularly significant. Electricity bills within Hokkaido are at the highest level in Japan. Restarting the reactor is expected to reduce electricity bills for households by about 11%.

Within Hokkaido, Rapidus Corp., which aims to domestically produce advanced semiconductors, will begin mass production in fiscal 2027. Because this will consume enormous amounts of electricity, expectations for the restart are high. The restart will likely give momentum to the construction of a data center for artificial intelligence. It will also certainly contribute to strengthening industrial competitiveness.

In its Basic Energy Plan, the government is targeting a power source mix for fiscal 2040 of 40%-50% from renewable energy sources, such as solar power, 30%-40% from thermal power and 20% from nuclear power.

Since the 2011 earthquake, operations at 14 nuclear reactors, mainly in western Japan, have restarted under the government’s new safety screenings. Last month, Niigata Gov. Hideyo Hanazumi approved the restart of reactors at TEPCO’s Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant.

Nevertheless, this alone will be insufficient to meet the target for nuclear power in the power source mix. It is also crucial that the government support power companies so that they can invest, including in the construction of new reactors.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 11, 2025)