Eight economic organizations in Hokkaido urge early restart of Tomari Nuclear Power Plant Unit 3 and electricity price reduction

On August 19, eight economic organizations in Hokkaido, including the Hokkaido Economic Federation, submitted a request to Hokkaido Electric Power Company (HEPCO), urging the company to promote the early restart of Unit 3 at the Tomari Nuclear Power Plant and to reduce electricity prices as soon as possible after restart, while ensuring that safety measures are given priority.

On the same day, Hiroshi Fujii, Chairman of the Hokkaido Economic Federation and Chairman of Hokkaido Electric Power Company, and Mitsuharu Yasuda, Chairman of the Hokkaido Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Chairman of Hokuyo Bank, along with other heads of economic organizations, visited HEPCO's headquarters in Sapporo and presented the request to HEPCO President Susumu Saito.

The request states that the Tomari Nuclear Power Plant is of great significance for Hokkaido's economic growth and decarbonization. The eight economic organizations believe that amid continued rises in commodity and energy prices, increased electricity costs have added to the burden on local residents and businesses. HEPCO should strive to restart Unit 3 at the Tomari Nuclear Power Plant as early as possible within fiscal year 2027, while ensuring safety, and implement electricity price reduction measures promptly.

Susumu Saito responded that the company will fully cooperate with the reviews of the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA), advance safety measures and related construction work, and strive to achieve the restart of the unit as early as possible in 2027. HEPCO also stated that the specific restart timeline remains subject to government assessment after the completion of safety measures, and the company will study electricity price reductions within several months of the unit's restart.

Hiroshi Fujii stated that safety must be the foremost priority for the relevant project, and on that basis, a stable and low-cost electricity supply is of great significance to Hokkaido's economic activities. Mitsuharu Yasuda also noted that rising energy costs are having a significant impact on business operations, and expressed hope that Unit 3 at the Tomari Nuclear Power Plant can be restarted as early as possible within fiscal year 2027 to better align with corporate business cycles.