Earlier today, TEPCO announced that after nearly 15 years, Unit 6 at the Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear power station has been restarted. Following approval from Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA), TEPCO withdrew the reactor’s control rods to initiate startup at 7:02 p.m. local time.

Next, the company will work with the NRA to confirm the safe operation of the plant. “We will carefully verify the integrity of each and every plant facility while suitably addressing any issues that arise and conveying information to the public during each step of the startup process,” TEPCO’s statement said.