Onagawa-2 also set to restart by the end of October
Japanese regional utility Chugoku Electric Power Company said its Shimane-2 nuclear power plant in Shimane Prefecture, southwest Japan, will restart in early December, a move that will bring the number of reactors online to 13 and boost the nation’s power supply this winter.
Shimane-2 reactor, which was shut in 2012 following the Fukushima disaster, will be connected to the grid by end-December, according to a statement on Tuesday (15 October). The unit will begin full commercial operations in January, the statement said.
Shimane-2 was set to resume in August, but the restart was rescheduled due to essential safety upgrade work.
Shimane-2 is a 789-MW boiling water reactor unit of the same type as those that suffered meltdowns at the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power station following the massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011. The plant began commercial operation in 1989.
Tohoku Electric Power Company’s Onagawa-2 plant in Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, is also set to restart by the end of October, reports have said.
Before the Fukushima disaster Japan’s fleet of 54 nuclear plants generated about 30% of the country’s electricity, but were all shut down for safety checks following the accident.
Among the 33 operable nuclear reactors in Japan, 12 have now resumed operations after meeting post-Fukushima safety standards. The restarted plants are: Sendai-1 and -2, Genkai-3 and -4, Ikata-3, Mihama-3, Ohi-3 and -4 and Takahama-1, -2, -3 and -4.
Earlier this month Japan’s new economy minister said the country will need to maximise the use of existing nuclear power plants because AI and data centres are expected to boost electricity demand.
Yoji Muto said the new administration will plan restarting as many reactors as possible so long as they are safe.
Muto’s comments point to a continuation of former prime minister Fumio Kishida’s policy that moved Japan back towards nuclear energy as a major power source.
Newly appointed prime minister Shigeru Ishiba, who succeeded Kishida on 1 October following the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election, had said during his election campaign that Japan should reduce its dependence on nuclear energy, but later said that he would support the restart of existing plants.
