Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear power plant
Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear power plant is a nuclear power station in Japan with 1 operating unit totalling 1,356 MW gross. The site has 7 units on record in total.
Units
| Unit | Status | Type | Model | Gross MW | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 6 | BWR | ABWR | 1,356 | 2026 | |
| Unit 1 | Mothballed | BWR | BWR-5 | 1,100 | 1985 |
| Unit 2 | Mothballed | BWR | BWR-5 | 1,100 | 1990 |
| Unit 3 | Mothballed | BWR | BWR-5 | 1,100 | 1993 |
| Unit 4 | Mothballed | BWR | BWR-5 | 1,100 | 1994 |
| Unit 5 | Mothballed | BWR | BWR-5 | 1,100 | 1990 |
| Unit 7 | Mothballed | BWR | ABWR | 1,356 | 1997 |
Unit by unit
Each unit's rating, type and milestone dates as recorded by the Global Nuclear Power Tracker, with any correction we made to it. A dash or "not disclosed" means the source does not give the value.
Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear power plant 6
| Reactor type | Boiling water reactor (BWR) |
|---|---|
| Model | ABWR |
| Size class | Large |
| Gross capacity | 1,356MW |
| Net capacity | 1,315MW |
| Thermal output | 3,926MWt |
| Enrichment | 3–5% U-235 |
| NSSS vendor | GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy |
| Owner | Tokyo Electric Power Co100% |
| Operator | Tokyo Electric Power |
| Construction start | 3 Nov 1992 |
|---|---|
| First criticality | 18 Dec 1995 |
| Grid connection | 29 Jan 1996 |
| Commercial operation | 1 Jan 2026 |
Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear power plant 1 Mothballed
| Reactor type | Boiling water reactor (BWR) |
|---|---|
| Model | BWR-5 |
| Size class | Large |
| Gross capacity | 1,100MW |
| Net capacity | 1,067MW |
| Thermal output | 3,293MWt |
| Enrichment | 3–5% U-235 |
| NSSS vendor | GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy |
| Owner | Tokyo Electric Power Co100% |
| Operator | Tokyo Electric Power |
| Construction start | 5 Jun 1980 |
|---|---|
| First criticality | 12 Dec 1984 |
| Grid connection | 13 Feb 1985 |
| Commercial operation | 18 Sep 1985 |
Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear power plant 2 Mothballed
| Reactor type | Boiling water reactor (BWR) |
|---|---|
| Model | BWR-5 |
| Size class | Large |
| Gross capacity | 1,100MW |
| Net capacity | 1,067MW |
| Thermal output | 3,293MWt |
| Enrichment | 3–5% U-235 |
| NSSS vendor | GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy |
| Owner | Tokyo Electric Power Co100% |
| Operator | Tokyo Electric Power |
| Construction start | 18 Nov 1985 |
|---|---|
| First criticality | 30 Nov 1989 |
| Grid connection | 8 Feb 1990 |
| Commercial operation | 28 Sep 1990 |
Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear power plant 3 Mothballed
| Reactor type | Boiling water reactor (BWR) |
|---|---|
| Model | BWR-5 |
| Size class | Large |
| Gross capacity | 1,100MW |
| Net capacity | 1,067MW |
| Thermal output | 3,293MWt |
| Enrichment | 3–5% U-235 |
| NSSS vendor | GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy |
| Owner | Tokyo Electric Power Co100% |
| Operator | Tokyo Electric Power |
| Construction start | 7 Mar 1989 |
|---|---|
| First criticality | 19 Oct 1992 |
| Grid connection | 8 Dec 1992 |
| Commercial operation | 11 Aug 1993 |
Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear power plant 4 Mothballed
| Reactor type | Boiling water reactor (BWR) |
|---|---|
| Model | BWR-5 |
| Size class | Large |
| Gross capacity | 1,100MW |
| Net capacity | 1,067MW |
| Thermal output | 3,293MWt |
| Enrichment | 3–5% U-235 |
| NSSS vendor | GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy |
| Owner | Tokyo Electric Power Co100% |
| Operator | Tokyo Electric Power |
| Construction start | 5 Mar 1990 |
|---|---|
| First criticality | 1 Nov 1993 |
| Grid connection | 21 Dec 1993 |
| Commercial operation | 11 Aug 1994 |
Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear power plant 5 Mothballed
| Reactor type | Boiling water reactor (BWR) |
|---|---|
| Model | BWR-5 |
| Size class | Large |
| Gross capacity | 1,100MW |
| Net capacity | 1,067MW |
| Thermal output | 3,293MWt |
| Enrichment | 3–5% U-235 |
| NSSS vendor | GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy |
| Owner | Tokyo Electric Power Co100% |
| Operator | Tokyo Electric Power |
| Construction start | 20 Jun 1985 |
|---|---|
| First criticality | 20 Jul 1989 |
| Grid connection | 12 Sep 1989 |
| Commercial operation | 10 Apr 1990 |
Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear power plant 7 Mothballed
GNPT records the unit as under construction, with a commercial operation date in the future. The Japan Atomic Industrial Forum's table of the status of Japan's nuclear power plants, as of 7 August 2026, lists Kashiwazaki-Kariwa 7 (ABWR, 1,356 MWe) among the operable units, commercial operation 1997, in outage since 2011.08.23. Only Ohma, Higashidori-1 and Shimane-3 are in its under-construction table. The unit is complete and idle, like its sister units already recorded as mothballed, so it is not under construction. The commercial operation year is the JAIF's; the exact day is not given there, so only the year is recorded.
status:
construction → mothballed
· Japan Atomic Industrial Forum, Current Status of Nuclear Power Plants in Japan (as of 7 August 2026)
· verified 2026-10-22
GNPT records the unit as under construction, with a commercial operation date in the future. The Japan Atomic Industrial Forum's table of the status of Japan's nuclear power plants, as of 7 August 2026, lists Kashiwazaki-Kariwa 7 (ABWR, 1,356 MWe) among the operable units, commercial operation 1997, in outage since 2011.08.23. Only Ohma, Higashidori-1 and Shimane-3 are in its under-construction table. The unit is complete and idle, like its sister units already recorded as mothballed, so it is not under construction. The commercial operation year is the JAIF's; the exact day is not given there, so only the year is recorded.
commercial_operation:
2030-01-01 → 1997
· Japan Atomic Industrial Forum, Current Status of Nuclear Power Plants in Japan (as of 7 August 2026)
· verified 2026-10-22
GNPT records the unit as under construction, with a commercial operation date in the future. The Japan Atomic Industrial Forum's table of the status of Japan's nuclear power plants, as of 7 August 2026, lists Kashiwazaki-Kariwa 7 (ABWR, 1,356 MWe) among the operable units, commercial operation 1997, in outage since 2011.08.23. Only Ohma, Higashidori-1 and Shimane-3 are in its under-construction table. The unit is complete and idle, like its sister units already recorded as mothballed, so it is not under construction. The commercial operation year is the JAIF's; the exact day is not given there, so only the year is recorded.
start_year:
2030 → 1997
· Japan Atomic Industrial Forum, Current Status of Nuclear Power Plants in Japan (as of 7 August 2026)
· verified 2026-10-22
| Reactor type | Boiling water reactor (BWR) |
|---|---|
| Model | ABWR |
| Size class | Large |
| Gross capacity | 1,356MW |
| Net capacity | 1,315MW |
| Thermal output | 3,926MWt |
| Enrichment | 3–5% U-235 |
| NSSS vendor | GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy |
| Owner | Tokyo Electric Power Co100% |
| Operator | Tokyo Electric Power |
| Construction start | 1 Jul 1993 |
|---|---|
| First criticality | 1 Nov 1996 |
| Grid connection | 17 Dec 1996 |
| Commercial operation | 1997 |
Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear power plant in context
By gross operating capacity Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear power plant is the 5th largest of 9 operating nuclear sites in Japan, holding 9% of the country's operating capacity, and ranks 119th of 172 worldwide.
Its operating unit started up in 2026; the unit is 0.0 years old, younger than the median of 35.0 in Japan.
The one unit with both construction and grid dates on record took 3.2 years from construction start to grid connection; the median across all reactors connected in the 1990s is 8.0 years.
The nearest other tracked nuclear sites are Onagawa nuclear power plant (277 km).
Build time by unit
| Unit | Construction start | Grid connection | Years | Fleet median, same decade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 6 | 1992 | 1996 | 3.2 | 8.0 (1990s) |
Nearest tracked nuclear sites
| Site | Country | Distance | Operating GW gross |
|---|---|---|---|
| Onagawa nuclear power plant | Japan | 277 km | 0.8 |
How these are worked out: ranks use gross operating capacity; ages count from the start-up year on record, as on the age page; build times run from construction start to grid connection, as on the build-times page; ratings are the tracker's net and design net capacity, as on the uprates page. Distances are straight-line between exact positions, so a site with only an approximate position gets none. A unit missing a date or a rating is left out of the figure that needs it.
Earthquakes nearby
Loading the latest USGS check…
| Time (UTC) | Mag | Depth | Epicentre | Distance |
|---|
Magnitude 4.0 and above within 200 km of Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear power plant's listed coordinates, past 30 days. This is distance, not shaking: it says nothing about damage or any change in operation. Every plant.
| Location | Kashiwazaki, Niigata, Japan |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 37.4259, 138.5941 |
| Elevation | about 10 mabove sea level |
| Setting | On the sea coast, 0.2 km from the water |
| Region | Eastern Asia |
| Units by status | Operating: 1 Mothballed: 6 |
Elevation is read at the listed coordinates from a 30 m terrain model (SRTM 30 m). Two independent models differ by a median of 6 m across our plants and by up to about 40 m on steep or coastal ground, and a point on a shoreline can read as sea level. Distance to the water is measured to a generalised 1:10 million coastline, so a few kilometres or less is not resolved. This is context, not a design-basis or flood-risk figure.
| Owners | Tokyo Electric Power Co |
|---|---|
| Operators | Tokyo Electric Power |
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Sources
- Global Nuclear Power Tracker, Global Energy Monitor, August 2026 release , CC BY 4.0 · retrieved 2026-09-06
- GEM.wiki entry (further reading) , CC BY-SA 4.0, linked, not quoted
How these sources are used, including the corrections applied on top of them and what is deliberately left blank · download the underlying data