All Japanese reactors offline in 14 months

September 2, 2013

Japan's online nuclear reactors to be halted

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20130902_43.html

The only 2 nuclear reactors online in Japan will soon be shut down for regular inspections. That means all nuclear power generators in the country will be offline for the first time in about 14 months.

Due to the nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant in 2011, all of Japan's nuclear reactors were offline at one point in the past 2 years.

But last year, Kansai Electric Power Company, the operator of the Ohi nuclear power plant on the Sea of Japan, restarted the facility's Number 3 and Number 4 reactors.

The 2 are the only reactors currently online in Japan.

On Monday afternoon, Kansai Electric began lowering the power output of the Number 3 reactor for regular inspections. The reactor will come to a halt on Tuesday morning.

The plant operator also plans to halt the Number 4 reactor for a regular check on September 15th.

To gain approval for the restart of their offline reactors, Ohi and 5 other nuclear plants are undergoing assessments by the Nuclear Regulation Authority.