IAEA to help Japan establish protection of largest nuclear power plant from terrorist attacks

By Alimat Aliyeva

Experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will help Japan establish protection against possible terrorist attacks at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, the most powerful in the country and the world, located in Niigata Prefecture, Azernews reports, citing foreign media outlets.

Foreign media noted that a team of IAEA specialists will inspect the station, and assess and prepare recommendations on counter-terrorism security. In this area, several inconsistencies with established protocols have been identified at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa NPP in recent years, which led to the prohibition of the operation of the plant in 2021.

In more than two years, the operator of the Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) facility has made progress in improving the safety of nuclear power plants. In particular, measures to repel terrorist attacks, mitigate the effects of stormy weather were tightened and equipment for the protection of nuclear materials was improved. The Japanese regulator lifted the ban on the operation of the station at the end of 2023, but the consent of local authorities is required for its restart. It is assumed that the IAEA will help to finally resolve this issue.

It should be noted that the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant is located on the shore of the Japan Sea. It ranks first in the world in terms of the combined capacity of seven reactors, which exceeds 8.2 thousand MW. The Japanese government has decided to review the policy of abandoning the construction of new nuclear power plants and intensify work on restarting reactors shut down after the accident at the Fukushima-1 plant in 2011. The list includes the sixth and seventh power units of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa NPP.