Take our user survey and make your voice heard.
Kyushu Electric Power Co says it hopes to restart the No. 2 reactor at its Sendai nuclear plant in Kagoshima Prefecture in September.
The utility made the proposal on Monday when it asked the Nuclear Regulation Authority to conduct an on-site inspection, which is considered the final step in getting the reactor back online.
Kagoshima Gov Yuichiro Ito has given his approval to restart the reactor and the Nuclear Regulation Authority last July gave the reactors passing grades under stricter safety requirements that factored in the lessons of the Fukushima Daiichi meltdowns. The plant's host town, Satsumasendai, has already voted to restart the plant.
The on-site inspection inspection is scheduled to commence on June 10, and if there are no problems, Kyushu Power said it will aim to restart the reactor in September.
However, a group of 12 residents filed an appeal earlier this month, seeking to block the restart. The plaintiffs, in their appeal filed with the Miyazaki branch of the Fukuoka High Court, argue that Kyushu Electric and the Nuclear Regulation Authority have underestimated the risk of nearby volcanoes and operational plans lack credible evacuation measures. They also say the plant is not strong enough to withstand an earthquake as powerful as the one that struck on March 11, 2011.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been pushing to restart some of the 48 reactors, saying a prolonged shutdown hurts the economy in Japan, which is heavily dependent on imported sources of energy.
© Japan Today/AP
8 Comments
Login to comment
itsonlyrocknroll
Does 12 residents seeking to block the restart, constitute a democratic mandate? imported energy in all respects could spike. Are these 12 residents conscience going to provide heating to the eltcectate who don't have a voice?
mukashiyokatta
The citizens do not want nuclear power. It is too dangerous, as can easily be seen at Fukushima.
itsonlyrocknroll
If the citizens want the reactors decommissioned why did council members vote 19 to 4 to restart the reactors? I am not in favor of restarting any of 48 reactors, but as a family member bluntly put it, I can afford the bills in the summer for the air conditioning......
Wc626
There are lots of quakes here. As one poster said in another forum (similar topic), "it's Russian Roulette".
Seems like anthing "nuclear" -related, in japan, will always be ill-fated.
itsonlyrocknroll
I am not surprised events at Fukushima and the strange manner that local government seems to operate, if residents are genuinely concerned about evacuation procedures then there is something seriously bent out of shape on the council.
gkamburoff
Isn't there a recently-awakening volcano around there?