26 Apr (NucNet): Japan’s Kansai Electric Power Company (Kepco) said in a statement on 25 April 2017 that it plans to begin the restart process for the Takahama-3 and -4 nuclear reactor units in Fukui Prefecture, western Japan. The company said it had received consent to restart the two 830-MW pressurised water reactor units from local authorities. Kepco said it is scheduled to load fuel into Takahama-4 later this week and plans to connect the reactor to the grid in late May and to start commercial operation in mid-June. The utility expects to load fuel into Takahama-3 in mid-May and to connect the unit to the grid in early June, before commercial operation begins in early July. In March the Osaka High Court lifted an injunction against the restarts. In March 2016 the Otsu District Court issued an injunction to halt operations in response to a request by anti-nuclear groups who said there were doubts about the station’s seismic standards and about new regulatory standards brought in following Fukushima-Daiichi. Kepco had filed an appeal to the Osaka High Court seeking to allow it to restart the two units. All reactors in Japan were shut down following the 2011 accident at Tokyo Electric Power Company’s Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear station. To restart, they must meet a series of new regulatory requirements and receive local government consent. Of the 42 operable reactors in Japan, only three are currently operating: Sendai-1, Sendai-2 and Ikata-3.
