Japan's Nuclear Power Plants Face Delays Resuming Operations
Nuclear reactors at three of Japan's power plants will be kept offline for longer than planned due to reasons including delays in installing stricter safety measures.
The delays concern the No.2 reactor at the Onagawa plant in Miyagi Prefecture, the No.3 and No.4 reactors at the Genkai plant in Saga Prefecture, and the No.3 reactor at the Takahama plant in Fukui Prefecture.
Tohoku Electric Power Company had planned to finish installing safety measures at its Onagawa reactor by the end of March 2023. The measures are being taken to meet the stricter regulations introduced after the March 2011 quake and tsunami.
But the utility has now pushed back the completion date to November 2023 because more time is needed for quake-resistance work and the construction of seawalls.
The company says it plans to have the reactor online in February 2024, for the first time since the 2011 disaster.
Kyushu Electric's No.3 and No.4 reactors at the Genkai plant have been back online under the stricter regulations.
But the operator says it cannot meet the deadline to build mandatory anti-terror facilities within five years after receiving approval for its planned safety measures. Reactors that fail to meet the deadline must halt operations.
The facilities were due to be completed in August this year, but work fell behind schedule due to fires and accidents at the construction sites.
Both reactors will be offline by the end of September. The utility plans to resume operations of the No.3 reactor in January 2023 and the No.4 reactor in February after building the facilities and passing government inspections.
Kansai Electric Power says ongoing regular checks at the No.3 reactor at its Takahama plant have found decay in four of the pipes of the steam generators that power the turbine.
The operator says it will conduct a more detailed investigation and this is likely to affect the initial schedule to resume the reactor's operation in mid-May.