Nuclear reactor restart in Japan will likely displace natural gas electricity generation

On February 9, 2026, Japan restarted Unit 6 of its largest nuclear power plant, the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Station in Niigata Prefecture, which was shut down following the 2011 Fukushima tsunami and nuclear accident. As the reactor returns to full operations, the resulting increase in nuclear generation is likely to displace generation from fossil sources, mainly natural gas, which accounted for 33% of all Japan's electricity generation in 2024.