Sendai No.2 reactor to go back online...Oct.15

October 14, 2015

Sendai No.2 reactor to be restarted on Thursday

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20151014_20.html

Oct. 14, 2015 - Updated 08:56 UTC+2

Kyushu Electric Power Company says the No.2 reactor at its Sendai nuclear plant in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, will be put back online on Thursday.

The Sendai plant was the first in Japan to clear the government's new regulations for nuclear plants introduced after the Fukushima disaster in March 2011.

The plant has 2 reactors. Its No.1 reactor resumed operation in August this year.

The No.2 reactor has been shut down since it underwent regular inspections 6 months after the nuclear disaster.

On Wednesday, Kyushu Electric announced that the reactor's control rods will be removed starting at 10:30 Thursday morning, Japan time.

The reactor is expected to reach criticality about 12 hours after going back online.

Its operator plans to start generating and transmitting power next Wednesday, and resume commercial operation in mid-November.

The Sendai No.2 reactor will be the second in Japan to be restarted under post-Fukushima requirements.