But will Fukui court's injunction be respected?

August 6, 2015

Application filed for checking Takahama reactor

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20150805_31.html

Aug. 5, 2015 - Updated 14:20 UTC+2

The operator of a nuclear power plant in central Japan has applied to have regulators conduct the final stage of checking of one of its reactors.

Kansai Electric Power Company hopes to restart the Number 3 reactor at the Takahama nuclear plant in Fukui Prefecture this year.

The utility's application on Wednesday came one day after the Nuclear Regulation Authority approved detailed plans of safety measures for the reactor's equipment.

The utility plans to place nuclear fuel in the reactor in mid-October to reactivate it early November. It also aims to resume power generation for commercial purposes in December.

The nuclear authority decided in February that the safety measures for the Number 3 and 4 reactors meet new government requirements for resuming operation.

But in April, a district court in Fukui issued a provisional injunction blocking the 2 reactors' restart.

Kansai Electric Power says it will arrange for the regulator to check the Number 3 reactor so that fuel can be placed inside it. But it will not reactivate the reactor unless the injunction is repealed. If the injunction stays, the utility would also refrain from putting fuel into the reactor.

The plant is the second in Japan to file such an application with the authority, following the Sendai plant in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan.