Japan is expected to greenlight the reopening of the world’s largest nuclear power plant today, part of a wider global nuclear renaissance.
Kashiwazaki-Kariwa was one of 54 reactors shuttered after the 2011 earthquake that triggered the Fukushima meltdown and Tokyo’s — and much of the world’s — pivot away from nuclear. But demand for reliable clean energy has grown, and new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is pro-nuclear.
Dozens of countries have pledged to triple nuclear capacity by 2050, with particular focus on new “small modular reactors” which can be built and installed more cheaply: India’s Adani Group is planning a major buildout of SMRs to power the global AI data center demand.
