Niigata Gov. Hirohiko Izumida said Wednesday that his decision on whether to let Tokyo Electric Power Co. request safety tests for two idled reactors in Niigata Prefecture won't be made for some time.
"I will keep this issue on hold," Izumida told Tepco President Naomi Hirose at the prefectural government's headquarters during their second meeting on restarting reactor Nos. 6 and 7 at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa power plant.
Tepco, facing massive compensation and cleanup costs from the 2011 meltdowns at the Fukushima No. 1 plant, is desperate to bring its idled reactors back online to reduce growing fuel costs from its return to thermal power generation.