Takahama NPP
IN BRIEFJapan's atomic regulator on 12 February cleared two more reactors for restart, in another move towards returning the country to nuclear power generation after the Fukushima disaster of 2011 led to the shutdown of all units. Currently, 48 of Japan's reactors are idling awaiting safety upgrades and inspections by the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA).
Units 3 and 4 operated by Kansai Electric Power at the Takahama nuclear power plant (NPP) passed the basic standards for operation, NRA commissioners said at a meeting. However, the reactors must still get approval from the regulator on design upgrades and go through operational checks, as well as get the consent from local authorities to restart.
Kansai Electric, one of the country's leading nuclear power utilities, is aiming to start the reactors by November, according to a plan submitted to the government in December to raise electricity rates by 10%, a spokesman said on 12 February. The utility expects to post a fourth consecutive year of losses in the year through 31 March. Kansai Electric's Ohi Units 3 and 4, were restarted in July 2012 and ran until September 2013, when they were shut down again.
Following the meltdowns at three of its reactors at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in northeast Japan following an earthquake and tsunami, all 48 of Japan`s reactors were gradually taken offline by September 2013. The shutdown has forced the utility companies to turn to more expensive fossil fuels to run power plants, resulting most of them incurring sustained losses.
The Japanese government, led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, has been pushing to restart nuclear reactors that meet the new, strict safety standards laid down after the Fukushima disaster. The government is aiming to restart Units 1 and 2 at Sendai NPP, operated by Kyushu Electric Power Company, the first to be approved under the new rules, by around June, following a lengthy approval process and despite public opposition.
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