A second nuclear reactor has begun working in Japan, officials said Thursday, the day after its operator was ordered to examine a possible active tectonic fault directly under the plant.
A second nuclear reactor has begun working in
Japan
,
officials said Thursday, the day after its operator was ordered to examine a
possible active tectonic fault directly under the plant.
Kansai Electric Power Co. (9503.TO), or Kepco, which runs the Oi power plant in
the nation's industrial heartland, said it switched on Unit No. 4 late
Wednesday, following the restart of Unit No. 3 reactor earlier this month.
On Wednesday
Japan
's
nuclear watchdog ordered Kepco to probe claims that the plant lay on one of the
many fault lines that riddle the earthquake-prone country.
The restart comes after tens of thousands of people rallied in
Tokyo
on
Monday demanding an end to nuclear power, the latest in a series of anti-atomic
gatherings following the tsunami-sparked disaster at
Fukushima
last
year.
The restarts at Oi ended two months in which
Japan
was
nuclear-free after reactors across the country were shuttered in the aftermath
of the
Fukushima
meltdowns.
In mid-June, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda gave the green light to restart two
reactors amid concerns about looming power shortages this summer.
The government has asked business and households to cut back on their power
usage by as much as 15% from summer levels two years ago.
With the Oi restarts, Kepco is expected to be able to meet demand for power,
even as electricity usage peaks with the increased use of air conditioners over
Japan
's hot
and humid summer, a Kepco spokesman said.
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