India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has ordered Kansai Electric Power (KEPCO) to restart two reactors at the Oi nuclear power plant in the Fukui prefecture in a bid to head off a summer energy crunch, local media reported Saturday. Fukui Governor Issei Nishikawa on Saturday also gave consent to the restart of two reactors, paving the way for first reactivation of nuclear reactors in the country since last year's Fukushima nuclear crisis, reports said. "Having won local consent, reactivating the Nos. 3 and 4 reactors of the Oi nuclear power plant is now the government's final decision," Noda said. "We are determined to make further efforts to restore people's trust in nuclear policy and safety regulations." The idled units 3 and 4 of the Oi nuclear plant to be resumed operation are 60 km north of Kyoto city, a tourist destination with a population of 1.38 million. Despite concerns about safety, the two reactors will become the first in the country to be restarted since the Fukushima nuclear crisis last year, triggered by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Japan 's 50 reactors have been shut down for maintenance. Utility companies have been unable to restart them due to public fears about nuclear power after the disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in March 2011. Since power supply is expected to be particularly tight in Kansai Electric's service area in western Japan centering on Osaka, and the Nos. 3 and 4 reactors have the biggest electricity output capacity among the company's reactors, reactivation of the two Oi reactors is estimated to ease the power shortage in the area this summer from 14.9 percent to break-even, according to the estimate of a government panel. The government will hence consider lowering its 15 percent power-saving request for this summer in Kansai Electric's service area, media reports said. However, it will take about six weeks for both reactors to be in full operation. Kansai Electric President Makoto Yagi said that the No. 3 unit' s operation is likely to reach full capacity as early as July 8 and the No. 4 unit on July 24. He also pledged that top priority will be placed on ensuring safety. Opponents criticize the government's move to restart the reactors before the establishment of a new nuclear regulatory body and before fully looking into the cause of the Fukushima accident. But reactors including the No. 3 unit of Shikoku Electric Power Co.'s Ikata plant in Ehime Prefecture and the Nos. 1 and 2 units of Hokkaido Electric Power Co.'s Tomari plant in Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido are likely to be considered next to restart, given reasons such as winning the approval from the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency and strong heating demand, the reports said.

Japan's PM orders restart of N-reactors, first after Fukushima crisis