- Tokyo Electric Power Company plans to restart a nuclear reactor in Niigata Prefecture in January.
- This marks the first TEPCO reactor restart since the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi accident.
- Local authorities have approved the restart, paving the way for a request to the Nuclear Regulation Authority.

A: Hey! Did you hear anything crazy in the news today?

B: No, what’s up? Anything interesting?

A: Apparently, TEPCO is restarting a nuclear reactor!

B: Seriously? Wow! Which one? I thought nothing had restarted since Fukushima.

A: Yeah, it's in Niigata Prefecture. It's the first TEPCO reactor to go back online in ages.

B: January? That’s really soon!

A: Exactly! They're planning to turn it on January 20th.

B: I guess the Niigata government approved it too?

A: Yep! They passed a budget bill to help with the restart. The governor was ready to approve it.

B: That's a big deal, right? They needed the local government’s okay.

A: Totally! They're telling the national government about it on Tuesday. That’s the final step for local approval.

B: So, what happens now?

A: They’re going to ask the nuclear regulators to check everything is safe.

B: And then they'll slowly start generating power again?

A: That’s the plan! They’ll check the equipment and ramp up the power. They hope to be fully running by the end of March.

B: Interesting! I wonder what people think about it.