The is a company initially formed to jump start the commercial use of

nuclear power in Japan Prior to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, Japan had generated 30% of its electrical power from nuclear reactors and planned to increase that share to 40%. Nuclear power energy was a national strategic priority in Japan. , of the 54 n ...

, and currently operates two different sites. According to the official web site, JAPC is "the only power company in Japan solely engaged in nuclear energy". JAPC owns both units at the

Tōkai Nuclear Power Plant The was Japan's first commercial nuclear power plant. The first unit was built in the early 1960s to the British Magnox design, and generated power from 1966 until it was decommissioned in 1998. A second unit, built at the site in the 1970s, wa ...

and the

Tsuruga Nuclear Power Plant The is located in the city of Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by the Japan Atomic Power Company (JAPC). The total site area is with 94% of it being green area that the company is working to preserve. The Tsuruga site is a dua ...

with plans to expand at Tsuruga. The company is jointly owned by Japan's major

electric utilities An electric utility is a company in the electric power industry (often a public utility) that engages in electricity generation and distribution of electricity for sale generally in a regulated market. The electrical utility industry is a major p ...

The Tokyo Electric Power Company , also known as or TEPCO, is a Japanese electric utility holding company servicing Japan's Kantō region, Yamanashi Prefecture, and the eastern portion of Shizuoka Prefecture. This area includes Tokyo. Its headquarters are located in Uchis ...

(28.23%), Kansai Electric Power (18.54%),

Chubu Electric Power , abbreviated as Chuden in Japanese, is a Japanese electric utilities provider for the middle Chūbu region of the Honshu island of Japan. It provides electricity at 60 Hz, though an area of Nagano Prefecture uses 50 Hz. Chubu Electric ...

(15.12%),

Hokuriku Electric Power Company The Hokuriku Electric Power Company supplies power by a regulated monopoly to Toyama Prefecture, Ishikawa Prefecture, the northern part of Fukui Prefecture, and northwestern parts of Gifu Prefecture. It is often abbreviated within its area o ...

(13.05%),

Tohoku Electric Power is an electric utility, servicing 7.6 million individual and corporate customers in six prefectures in Tōhoku region plus Niigata Prefecture. It provides electricity at 100 V, 50 Hz, though some area use 60 Hz. Tohoku Electric Power ...

(6.12%), and

Electric Power Development Company The , operating under the brand name J-POWER, formerly , is an electric utility in Japan. It mainly produces electricity from coal and hydroelectric power stations. It also has a few wind farms and is currently building a nuclear plant in Ohma ...

(J-Power) (5.37%).

Accidents

On 11 March 2011 several nuclear reactors in Japan were badly damaged by the

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami The occurred at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) on 11 March. The magnitude 9.0–9.1 (M) undersea megathrust earthquake had an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region, and lasted approximately six minutes ...

. The

lost external electric power, experienced the failure of one of its two cooling pumps, and two of its three emergency power generators. External electric power could only be restored two days after the earthquake.

Selling uranium stock

In February 2013 in an attempt to raise money to be able to pay back loans due in April 2013, Japan Atomic Power did sell part of its uranium-stock. Streamlining and selling the uranium would be needed to pay back 40 billion yen. After April 2013 the major shareholders were expected to guarantee the payments for some 100 billion yen in loans. Japan Atomic Power refused to disclose the buyer.

Activities abroad

Japan's first nuclear activity in a previously non-nuclear country will be four 1000 MW reactors at Ninh Thuận 2 Nuclear Power Plant. The feasibility study to be carried out by Japan Atomic Power Company. Japan Atomic Power Company will also consult the project. The plant will be built by a consortium, International Nuclear Energy Development of Japan Co, which comprises 13 Japanese companies. The plant will be owned and operated by state-owned electricity company EVN. Unit 1 is expected to be commissioned in 2021, unit 2 in 2022, unit 3 in 2024 and unit 4 in 2025.

References

Non-renewable resource companies established in 1957 Nuclear power companies of Japan Electric power companies of Japan Energy companies established in 1957 Japanese companies established in 1957 {{energy-company-stub