Tokyo: The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant, located around 220 kilometres northwest of Tokyo, was among 54 reactors shut down nationwide after a massive earthquake and tsunami triggered a meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, the world’s worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl.

Since then, Japan has cautiously brought nuclear energy back into its power mix, restarting 14 of the 33 reactors that remain operational, as the country looks to reduce its reliance on imported fossil fuels and stabilise energy supplies.

The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa facility will be the first nuclear plant to be operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company since the Fukushima crisis. Japan’s public broadcaster NHK reported that the company is considering restarting the first of the plant’s seven reactors on January 20, subject to final approvals.