Sendai to restart in June

March 20, 2015

Kyushu Electric plans to restart Sendai plant reactor in June

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20150320p2g00m0dm026000c.html

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Kyushu Electric Power Co. has submitted a plan to the Nuclear Regulation Authority to restart the No. 1 reactor at its Sendai power plant in Kagoshima Prefecture in June, sources close to the matter said Thursday.

A schedule for restarting a rector was disclosed for the first time after a set of tougher nuclear safety requirements were introduced in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.

As the utility will have to arrange a schedule with the authority for a pre-operation test of instruments and equipment at the plant, the schedule for restarting the reactor may change.

According to the report submitted to the regulatory authority, the utility plans to begin the pre-operation test in late March, restart the reactor in June and complete the test in August to begin commercial operations.

Japan's 48 commercial reactors were all gradually taken offline after the Fukushima nuclear crisis.

March 19, 2015

Utility applies for reactor check for July restart

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

Mar. 19, 2015 - Updated 13:30 UTC+1

A utility has applied for onsite inspection of a reactor at a power plant in southwestern Japan for a possible restart in July.

Kyushu Electric Power Company filed the application with the Nuclear Regulation Authority on Thursday.

The step came one day after the regulator approved the utility's equipment design documents for the No.1 reactor at the Sendai plant in Satsuma-Sendai city.

Last September, the reactor, along with another at the same plant, became the first to clear new, tougher regulations introduced after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis.

The inspection involves performance checks of new equipment installed under the regulations.

Inspectors are to check whether coolant pumps and other new facilities are built as designed and whether they function as planned.

Kyushu Electric's plan calls for the inspection to start on March 30th. Officials hope to start loading nuclear fuel into the reactor in early June.

More checks are expected to follow, including ones to see if newly equipped water-level gauges in the reactor are functioning properly.

The officials say they hope to pull out control rods to put the reactor back online in early July.

They plan to start generating electricity about one week later after the reactor reaches criticality, or a self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction.

The utility hopes to start commercial operation in late August after final, comprehensive examinations.

But experts say the inspection may take longer because the reactor has remained off-line for a long time and it will be the first to undergo on-site inspection under the new rules.

The utility says restart of the No.2 reactor is not expected until August at the earliest because of a delay in presenting equipment design documents.

Kyushu Electric aims to restart Sendai plant reactor in June

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/03/19/national/kyushu-electric-aims-to-restart-sendai-plant-reactor-in-june/#.VQwWhOF1Cos

Kyodo

Kyushu Electric Power Co. has submitted a plan to the Nuclear Regulation Authority to restart the No. 1 reactor at its Sendai power plant in Kagoshima Prefecture in June, sources close to the matter said Thursday.

It’s the first time a schedule for restarting a reactor has been disclosed since a set of tougher nuclear safety requirements were introduced in the wake of the 2011 nuclear disaster at Tepco’s wrecked Fukushima No. 1 plant.

As the utility will have to arrange a schedule with the authority for a pre-operation test of instruments and equipment at the plant, the schedule for restarting the reactor may change.

According to the report submitted to the regulatory authority, the utility plans to begin the pre-operation test in late March, restart the reactor in June and complete the test in August to begin commercial operations.

Japan’s 48 commercial reactors were all gradually taken offline following the triple meltdown at Tepco’s Fukushima No. 1 power plant, which was crippled by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.