Japan's Oldest Reactor Okayed To Operate Beyond 50 Years

The aging No. 1 reactor of the Takahama nuclear power plant in central Japan was cleared by the nuclear regulator to continue operations, making it the first reactor in the country to receive approval to operate beyond 50 years, Kyodo News reported.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority gave the green light to Kansai Electric Power Co.'s management plan for the next 10 years for the reactor. I Photo: Hirorinmasa Wikimedia Commons

The Nuclear Regulation Authority gave the green light to Kansai Electric Power Co.'s management plan for the next 10 years for the reactor, which marks its 50th anniversary next month, as the government considers nuclear power vital in the resource-poor country's energy mix.

The regulatory authority confirmed the operator's evaluation, which states the pressure vessel can withstand exposure to neutrons and that the durability of the concrete has been maintained despite the effects of heat and radiation.

The facility's Nos. 1 and 2 reactors were approved in June 2016 to operate beyond 40 years.

In 2023, both reactors were restarted for the first time since the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. In May 2023, Japan's parliament passed a bill introducing a new system that allows the country's nuclear reactors to operate beyond the current 60-year limit, Mainichi Japan also reported.