Sendai: Not before February

November 27, 2014

Restart of Sendai plant in February at earliest

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20141127_27.html

Nov. 27, 2014 - Updated 09:26 UTC+1

Restarting of a nuclear power plant in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, will not take place before February, due to a document revision.

In September, the Sendai plant became the first in Japan to pass new government regulations introduced after the 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. The prefecture's governor and assembly have consented to a restart.

The plant's operator, Kyushu Electric Power, must now gain approval for a construction plan by explaining facility designs in detail and a set of maintenance rules on emergency responses.

The company on Thursday said at a regulators' meeting that it will present a revised construction plan for the plant's No.1 reactor in early December after improving its explanations about anti-earthquake measures.

The utility says it will also present revised versions of a construction plan for the No.2 reactor, and a set of emergency rules for both reactors this year.

Kyushu Electric wants to restart the No.1 reactor first.

But that would take at least until February, pending the regulatory agency's approval for the construction plan and inspections of new safety measures.