Japan’s Nuclear Capacity Factor Stood at 30.6% in 2024 - JAPAN ATOMIC INDUSTRIAL FORUM, INC.

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According to data gathered by Atoms in Japan (AIJ) from all the electric power companies in the country, the average capacity factor of domestic nuclear power plants in the full calendar year 2024 was 30.6% (up 2.6 points from the previous year), and total nuclear generated electricity was 88.87TWh, (up 9.6% from the previous year).

Both of those figures represent the highest levels since 2015, when new regulatory standards for reactors came into effect.

Following the giant earthquake of March 11, 2011 (known officially as the Great East Japan Earthquake) and the issuance of new regulatory standards, the only kind of NPPs to meet them—and thus initially restarted—were pressurized water reactors (PWRs).

However, two boiling water reactors (BWRs) were also restarted last year (2024), bringing the total number of restarted units nationwide to 14, representing a generating capacity of 13.25GW.

The two BWRs were Onagawa-2, owned and operated by the Tohoku Electric Power Co., and Shimane-2 (December), owned and operated by the Chugoku Electric Power Co. Both reactors—restarted in November and December 2024, respectively—have since been returned to commercial service.

Also of note in 2024 was the fact that Takahama-1, owned and operated by the Kansai Electric Power Co., marked a half century of operation.

Meanwhile, Takahama-3, the only NPP in full operation domestically throughout 2024, recorded the highest capacity factor of all reactors nationwide: 105.8%.