TEPCO has developed an AI system designed to accelerate the preparation of regulatory documentation required for restarting nuclear reactors in Japan. Operators must secure approval from regulators for restarting units, building new plants, or upgrading existing equipment, a process that historically demands significant time and personnel resources.
The company demonstrated the system's utility using the application for the seventh reactor at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant. Previously, approximately 100 TEPCO specialists spent several months compiling documentation totaling about 70,000 pages. The new technology aims to reduce this workload and streamline the administrative burden.
TEPCO is currently exploring the possibility of licensing this AI technology to other major energy companies. The initiative comes as Japan continues a gradual restart of its nuclear fleet following the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi accident, which led to the shutdown of all 54 reactors that once supplied one-third of the nation's electricity.
Currently, 14 nuclear reactors are operational in Japan, with the number expected to grow. Despite the adoption of AI for document processing, industry experts remain cautious. Evgeny Abakumov, Deputy Director General for Science and Strategy at Rosatom, recently stated that the company does not delegate control of energy facilities to AI.
