August 17, 2015

Pre-restart check for Takahama reactor begins

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/nuclear.html

Aug. 17, 2015 - Updated 12:42 UTC+2

Inspectors from Japan's nuclear regulator have begun checking a reactor at a nuclear plant facing the Sea of Japan to determine whether it can be restarted.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority began the final stage of inspections on the Number 3 reactor at the plant in Takahama Town in Fukui Prefecture on Monday.

The inspections are in line with tougher regulations introduced after the March 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident. The final inspections cover 400 pieces of equipment installed to improve safety and based on the new requirements. The equipment includes emergency pumps and power-generation vehicles.

The final inspections come after the authority announced in February that safety measures for the Number 3 and 4 reactors at the plant meet the new requirements for resuming operation.

The plant operator, Kansai Electric Power Company, hopes to restart the Number 3 reactor in early November. But in April, a district court in Fukui issued a provisional injunction blocking the restart of both reactors. The operator says it will not reactivate the reactor unless the injunction is repealed.

The plant is the second in Japan to undergo final inspections based on the new requirements. A reactor at the plant in Satsumasendai City in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, became the first to have the inspections earlier this year. It was brought back online last week.