Onagawa Nuclear Power Station Unit 2 connects to the grid

TOHOKU ELECTRIC POWER CO., INC.

November 15, 2024

Onagawa Nuclear Power Station Unit 2 connects to the grid

It is our great pleasure to announce that the Onagawa Nuclear Power Station Unit 2 (BWR, 825MW) started to generate electricity and connected to the grid today, November 15, 2024 at 18:00 (Japan Standard Time).

The plant is expected to start commercial operation* in December 2024. Meanwhile, various testing, inspections and the preparation works will be conducted towards its full operation.

We will put our best effort in operating each process carefully and accordingly. In parallel, we will courteously continue to engage with the local communities to build and strengthen trust.

• Commercial operation: This will begin after completing all the pre-service inspection and the comprehensive inspection, and receiving confirmation certificate from the Nuclear Regulation Authority in Japan.

Message from CEO, Kojiro Higuchi

"It is my pleasure to announce the restart of Onagawa Nuclear Power Station Unit 2. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude towards all the stakeholders who were deeply involved in this long journey, not limited but including the Miyagi Prefecture, Onagawa Town and Ishinomaki City, all the local governments located within the Urgent Protective action planning Zone (UPZ), Japanese government, local communities, and the workers who performed the safety measure construction work.

As the closest Nuclear Power Station to the epicenter of March 11, 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, Onagawa Nuclear Power Station experienced tremendous hardships. On December 2013, we applied for the conformity assessment under the new regulation, undergoing nearly 10 years of inspection, and finally completed safety measure construction work in May this year. Throughout this entire process, we put safety as our utmost priority and conducted diligently and thoroughly.

Onagawa Nuclear Power Station will be the first BWR to restart in Japan since the March 11, 2011, and I am determined that the restart of this plant will bring an epic to further enhance the reconstruction process of the Tohoku region. Additionally, this restart will provide great significance from the perspectives of both carbon neutrality and stable supply of electricity.

We consider this restart as a `re-commissioning` of Onagawa Nuclear Power Station. Based on the lessons learned from the Tokyo Electric Power Company`s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Accident, we have upgraded and reinforced the plant by applying all safety measures to prepare for natural disasters and severe accidents. Additionally, based on the lessons learned from our predecessors and the bond of trust with the local communities we have developed over the years, with the belief that there is no end to safety measures, we will continue to further strengthen the safety of our nuclear power station.

Last but not least, we will continue to strengthen our relationship of trust with the local residents and the stakeholders with thorough and effective communication, based on appreciation for the Tohoku region. Thank you."