TOKYO: Money-losing Japanese nuclear and electronics company Toshiba Corp. will pay $3.68 billion toward the construction of two reactors in Georgia by its US unit Westinghouse, which has filed for bankruptcy protection.
Tokyo-based Toshiba said Saturday the payment, under an agreement with the operator of the Vogtle plant, will be made from October through January 2021.
Toshiba said the expense has already been figured in its earnings. Toshiba reported a 950 billion yen ($8.6 billion) loss for the fiscal year ended March.
Paul Bowers, chief executive of Georgia Power, the utility working with Westinghouse to expand Vogtle, welcomed the deal.
“We are pleased with today’s positive developments with Toshiba and Westinghouse that allow momentum to continue at the site while we transition project management from Westinghouse to Southern Nuclear and Georgia Power,” he said referring to his company and its parent.
Costs in the nuclear industry have ballooned since the March 2011 nuclear disaster in northeastern Japan, as safety requirements get tougher and the construction of the Westinghouse reactors has fallen behind schedule. Toshiba is still in similar talks over a South Carolina plant about such payments.
Toshiba’s shouldering Westinghouse’s costs was part of the initial 2008 reactor construction deal and the latest agreement sets the maximum for the payment, according to Toshiba.
Toshiba’s earnings reports have failed to get endorsements from its auditors, given the company’s precarious finances over the US projects. The reports are being given as projections, not results.
To stay afloat, Toshiba has been trying to sell its lucrative computer chip business. Even that effort has not gone smoothly. Toshiba is wrangling with Western Digital of the US, which has acquired some SanDisk operations, including a joint venture with Toshiba in Japan.
Toshiba President Satoshi Tsunakawa has acknowledged the company strategy based on Westinghouse was a mistake but has stressed he does not think Western Digital can block Toshiba in the chip sale.
Nuclear power will continue to be a major part of Toshiba’s shrinking business.
It is still responsible for more than a dozen plants in Japan, including decommissioning Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant, where three reactors sank into meltdowns after the 2011 tsunami, in the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.
Toshiba to pay $3.68bn for Westinghouse reactors in US
Toshiba to pay $3.68bn for Westinghouse reactors in US
Oman airport passenger traffic rises 2.8% in 2025
RIYADH: Passenger traffic through airports in Oman increased by 2.8 percent in 2025, reaching 14.9 million travelers by the end of December, up from 14.5 million passengers a year earlier, according to data released by the National Centre for Statistics and Information and reported by Oman News Agency.
Despite the rise in passenger volumes, total flight movements across the country’s airports declined by 2.8 percent to 104,510 flights in 2025, compared with 107,546 flights during the same period in 2024, indicating higher load factors and network optimization by airlines.
At Muscat International Airport, international flights fell by 4.5 percent to 82,913 in 2025 from 86,797 a year earlier. Nevertheless, international passenger numbers rose by 1.3 percent to 11.8 million, compared with 11.6 million in 2024. Domestic activity at Muscat showed stronger momentum, with flights increasing 6.6 percent to 9,606 from 9,009, while domestic passenger numbers climbed 12 percent to 1.3 million, up from 1.1 million.
At Salalah Airport, international flights declined 2.4 percent to 4,886 in 2025, compared with 5,008 in 2024. International passenger numbers remained broadly stable at 678,591, slightly higher than 678,402 a year earlier. Domestic operations recorded robust growth, with flights rising 14.3 percent to 6,227 from 5,450 and passenger numbers increasing 17.7 percent to 1,023,529, up from 869,954.
Sohar Airport saw a sharp contraction in international traffic, as flights dropped 77.8 percent to 110 in 2025 from 495 in 2024. International passenger numbers plunged 99.1 percent to 390 travelers, compared with 44,897 a year earlier. Domestic flights at Sohar declined 9.1 percent to 150 from 165, while passenger numbers fell 21.8 percent to 18,247, down from 23,331.
At Duqm Airport, domestic flights edged down 0.6 percent to 618 in 2025 from 622 in 2024. Passenger numbers slipped marginally by 0.4 percent to 60,893, compared with 61,137 the previous year.
Overall, the figures reflect steady growth in passenger demand across Oman’s main airports, driven largely by domestic travel, even as airlines reduced flight frequencies during the year.
