Resumed operation of nuclear power plants in Japan ‘was a matter of time’

Japan has resumed the operation of the first reactor of the nuclear power plant Sendai for the first time after all the nuclear power plants were shut down for testing after the Fukushima accident. Representatives of Kyushu Electric Power, the company in charge of operating the nuclear power plant Sendai, said that the reactor’s operation was resumed in normal mode at 10:30 on 11 August. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe noted on 10 August the reactor had gone through the world’s most rigorous safety checks.

According to Yuri Prokudin, an expert of the forex trading information website FX Bazooka, the resumption of the nuclear program in Japan after Fukushima events was a rather complicated and delicate issue. On the one hand, psychological considerations prohibited the resumed consumption of peaceful nuclear energy since fears raised by the Fukushima accident still lingered. However, from the economic point of view, resuming the operation of nuclear power plants was just a matter of time: the country’s balance of payment had worsened considerably due to the need to buy energy resources at steep prices. Resuming the operation of nuclear power plants was inevitable.

The high dependence on import (84% at present) reduces the energy effectiveness of the region on the whole and greatly limits industrial manufacturing, which consumes a lot of energy.
The resumption of operation of the entire system began with the nuclear power plant Sendai located on Kyushu Island. Reactors of this nuclear power plant were chosen for relaunch out of the 43 reactors, which were potentially ready for relaunch. Despite the nation’s overall negative attitude to the nuclear program Japan had to choose in favor of its own economy. This is why the launch of the first reactor at the nuclear power plant Sendai had not only psychological importance. It was also a symbol. If things go smoothly, the launch of the other 42 reactors will be greenlighted.
It is remarkable that the reactor was launched in the days commemorating victims of the nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It is likely that the country's leadership tries to send a message that nowadays nuclear energy has a totally different meaning and is meant to help, not destroy.

The restoration of the nuclear energy system is supposed to increase energy generation across the country in the end. Prior to the Fukushima accident nuclear power plants generated about 30% of the country’s total energy. Today the maximum volume is likely to stand at 22-25%, however, the figure can be called a humongous increase considering what Japan has now.