adminTOKYO. – Japan went nuclear-free yesterday after switching off its last operating reactor for inspection, and local media said a restart of any reactors is unlikely at least until early next year.
Kansai Electric Power took offline the No. 4 reactor at its Oi nuclear plant in the western prefecture of Fukui at 1:33am “without any problems”, said a company official.
The move left the world’s third largest economy without atomic energy to generate electricity for the second time since the Fukushima nuclear crisis erupted in March 2011.
Nuclear power supplied about one-third of the resource-poor nation’s electricity before a tsunami knocked out cooling systems and sparked meltdowns at Fukushima, causing tens of thousands to flee their homes.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has openly backed a return to the widespread use of atomic energy, but the public remains divided. Opponents cite safety fears.
Some 8 000 people staged a rally in Tokyo during the weekend against any plan to resume operations. Organisers said another sizable anti-nuclear demonstration will be held in the capital next month.
“Let’s preserve the environment in which children can live at ease,” Nobel literature laureate Kenzaburo Oe told the rally.
Japan previously was without any nuclear energy in May 2012, when all 50 commercial reactors were stopped for check-ups in the wake of the disaster.
But the government last year gave Kansai Electric approval to restart No. 3 and No. 4 reactors at the Oi plant, arguing that nuclear energy was necessary to meet increased electricity demand during the winter.
The reactors were reactivated in July 2012 and resumed full commercial operation the following month, but the No. 3 reactor was shut down earlier this month for a scheduled inspection. The nation’s other reactors have remained idle.
Utilities this summer have submitted applications to restart their reactors with the Nuclear Regulation Authority, which has significantly upgraded safety standards since the Fukushima crisis. – AFP.
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