21 May (NucNet): The owner and operator of the Ohi nuclear power station in central Japan has said it will appeal a court decision not to allow the restart of two units at the facility.
Kansai Electric Power Company said in a statement that it would appeal the ruling, announced today by a court in Fukui prefecture. The company said it would lodge its appeal with a higher court.
The Fukui court ruled today against allowing the restart of units 3 and 4 at the Ohi station. Both units are 1,127-megawatt pressurised water reactors. The two other units at the station, Ohi-1 and -2 are 1,120-megawatt PWR units.
Ohi-3 and -4 were the only two reactors to resume operation in Japan since the Fukushima-Daiichi accident, but were both taken offline in September 2013 for a scheduled refuelling and maintenance.
All of Japan’s 50 commercial reactors are offline while they undergo inspections to make sure they comply with new safety standards drawn up in the wake of the March 2011 Fukushima-Daiichi accident. The standards cover three main areas: design basis safety standards, severe accident measures and safety standards for earthquakes and tsunamis.
