Kansai Electric Power Company says it will restart on Friday another reactor at the Takahama nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture, central Japan.
The plant in February last year cleared strict government regulations adopted after the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi accident. Its No. 3 reactor was restarted late last month.
Final preparations are underway at the No. 4 reactor.
The plant’s engineers are expected to check control rods on Friday morning. If no problems are found, the utility plans to start removing 32 rods at 5 PM Friday.
Kansai Electric says the reactor will achieve a sustained nuclear chain reaction in about 13 hours.
The firm plans to start generating and transmitting power on Monday and resume commercial operation in late March.
Also on Thursday, inspectors from the Nuclear Regulation Authority are conducting final inspections of the No. 3 reactor.
If it passes and receives certification by the NRA, the reactor could start commercial operation as soon as Friday afternoon.
The No. 4 reactor would be the 4th to restart under the regulations, following the No. 3 and 2 more at the Sendai nuclear plant in the southwestern prefecture of Kagoshima.
Source and image: NHK
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