ISTANBUL

Japan is set to restart the world's largest nuclear power plant, the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in central Niigata prefecture, Nikkei Asia reported on Wednesday.

The prefectural governor is expected to approve Tokyo Electric Power's nuclear plant as early as Friday, bringing the facility one step closer to reopening for the first time since the 2011 Fukushima disaster, according to the daily.

The 8.2-gigawatt facility, known as the world's largest nuclear plant with seven reactors, has been idle since 2012, following the 2011 meltdown at the tsunami-hit Fukushima Daiichi plant.

Niigata Governor Hideyo Hanazumi has reportedly told prefectural officials that he will publicly support restarting the power plant as early as Friday.

He will then consult the prefectural assembly, which will begin its monthly session on Dec. 2. If the assembly approves the project, the prefecture will inform the Tokyo government that local procedures are complete.

Hanazumi said on Wednesday that he will announce his decision on the reactivation plan based on the information he has gathered so far.

In February, a report by the prefecture's technical committee said no safety issues were detected regarding the plant's compliance with a lengthy safety checklist.

Only one of the plant’s seven reactors, unit number 6, has been prepared to be restarted. With nuclear fuel installed inside, the reactor is ready to restart at any time.

If the restart process goes smoothly, the reactor will become operational by the end of March next year.