Oi, Oi

August 17, 2012

Ohi No.4 reactor begins commercial operation

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20120816_38.html

Another reactor at the Ohi nuclear power plant in central Japan has returned to full commercial operation.

The reactor had been in test-run mode since operator Kansai Electric Power Company began to generate power at full capacity on July 25th.

Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency told the utility on Thursday that the No.4 reactor is operating safely after completing a final 2-day check on the facility.

Last month, the plant's No.3 and No.4 reactors became the nation's first to resume operation since the Fukushima accident. The reactors had been shut down for routine inspection.

Kansai Electric is allowed to run the reactors for up to 13 months, until September next year, when regular inspection begins again.

But, experts have urged the utility to carry out a fresh survey of underground cracks near the plant to check whether they are active faults.

The company plans to reassess the potential risks of the faults by drilling the ground. It will submit a report to the government by the end of the year.