TOKYO, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Tokyo Electric Power saidon Monday it may start to decommission at least one nuclearreactor at its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa power plant, the world'sbiggest nuclear plant by capacity, within five years ofrestarting two of the reactors at the site.
Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) President Tomoaki Kobayakawamade the decommissioning comments in a statement outlining itsresponse to a request for plans on the station's future by thegovernment of the city of Kashiwazaki in Niigata prefecture,where the plant is located.
In 2017, Tepco received initial regulatory approval from theJapanese government to restart the No. 6 and No. 7 reactors atKashiwazaki-Kariwa, each with a capacity of 1,356 megawatts(MW). The plant site has seven reactors with a total capacity of8,212 MW, equal to 20% of Japan's nuclear capacity.
The facility is Tepco's last remaining nuclear plant afterit announced plans to shut its Fukushima Daini station, nearbythe Fukushima Daichi station where a massive earthquake andtsunami caused the meltdown of three of the site's reactors in2011.
Kashiwazaki's Mayor Masahiro Sakurai demanded in 2017 thatTepco submit plans to shut at least one of the No. 1 to No. 5reactors in return for approval of the restart of reactors No. 6and No. 7, a city official told Reuters by phone on Monday.The Kashiwazaki Mayor will take about month to evaluateTepco's plan, the official said.
Tepco said on Friday that Kobayakawa would brief localofficials on Monday about its answers to the city's request.
Tepco may take steps to decommission more than one of theNo. 1 to No. 5 reactors within 5 years after the restart of theNo.6 and No.7 reactors if its is confident it can secure enoughnon-fossil fuel energy sources, according to the statement.
A Tepco official said on Monday the company is targetinghaving renewable and nuclear power produce 44% of totalgeneration by 2030.
Tepco has been trying to convince local authorities nearKashiwazaki-Kariwa, who have sign-off rights on nuclearrestarts, that it has overcome operational failings revealed atFukushima.
(Reporting by Yuka Obayashi; writing by Aaron Sheldrick;editing by Christian Schmollinger)