Kagoshima (Japan) reactor restarted, first to go online under post-Fukushima regime

Source: Japan Times

Japan fired nuclear reactor back up Tuesday in the first restart in nearly two years despite strong public safety concerns in light of the continuing nuclear catastrophe at the Fukushima No. 1 complex triggered by a powerful earthquake and tsunami in 2011.

Reactor 1 at Kyushu Electric Power Co.’s Sendai complex, located in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture, became the first unit to be reactivated under a set of new, stricter regulations imposed after the triple-reactor meltdowns at the Fukushima plant.

At 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, workers at the two-reactor Sendai plant in Kagoshima Prefecture pulled out the control rods that have been suppressing nuclear fission, and reactivated reactor 1 for the first time since May 2011, when it was taken offline for mandatory regular checks.

The reactor is expected to reach criticality in half a day. The utility plans to start generating and delivering electricity in three days. The resumption of the Sendai plant’s reactor 2 will likely come in October.

Read more: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/08/11/national/kagoshima-reactor-restarted-first-go-online-post-fukushima-regime/#.Vclf5ygUONE