Japan to experience nuclear-free summer

Source: Asahi Shimbun

Kyushu Electric Power Co.’s delayed application for safety screenings of two reactors means Japan will be without nuclear energy this summer for the first time since the Fukushima nuclear accident started in March 2011.

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After the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami led to the triple meltdown at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, more than 10 reactors were operating in the summer that year.

But their operations were later suspended for regular inspections, and restarting them required NRA approval under the new safety standards.

All reactors in Japan were temporarily offline. But in July 2012, the Democratic Party of Japan-led government allowed Kansai Electric Power Co. to restart two reactors at its Oi nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture. Those operations continued until September 2013.

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Read more: http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201406250047