Kansai Electric’s Takahama nuclear plants gets local approval to extend operation

They were given up to 60 years.

The Fukui Prefecture and Takahama Town have approved the extension of operations of Takahama-3 and -4 Nuclear Power Plants for up to 60 years from the current legal limit of 40 years, the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum, Inc. said in a statement. 

Following this approval, the 870-megawatts nuclear power plants owned by Kansai Electric Power Co. will be able to operate beyond June 2025. 

Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority first gave its approval to extend the operation of the plants in May. 

To ensure reliability of the facility, Kansai Electric said it will replace two sets of steam generators at Takahama-3 and -4. This will be done during the units’ periodic inspections from June to October 2026 for Takahama-3 and from October 2026 to February 2027 for Takahama-4. 

The Fukui Prefecture and Takahama Town also approved the company’s plan to replace the reactor core internals at Takahama-1 and -2, and to proceed with the applications for permission to make changes to the reactor installations. 

The replacement work will be done from June to December 2028 for Takahama-1 and from November 2028 to April 2029 for Takahama-2.