The operator of the Takahama nuclear plant in Fukui Prefecture, central Japan, has begun shutting it down following a court injunction.
The Otsu District Court in neighboring Shiga Prefecture issued an injunction on Wednesday ordering the plant’s No.3 and No.4 reactors taken offline.
The court said the operator, Kansai Electric Power Company, has not sufficiently explained the reactors’ safety to local residents despite the high risks.
Kansai Electric began placing control rods inside the No.3 reactor at 10:00 AM on Thursday to stop nuclear fission. Output will gradually be reduced until it reaches zero at around 8:00 PM.
The operator will suspend generating electricity at around 5:00 PM.
The No.3 reactor was restarted in January this year.
Unit 4 went back online last month but shut down automatically 3 days later after a glitch, which is still under investigation.
This is the first time in Japan that operating reactors have been stopped by court order. The reactors must stay offline until the injunction is overturned.
The injunction leaves just two reactors operating in Japan, both at the Sendai nuclear power station in Kagoshima Prefecture.(NHK News)
Link: http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20160310_21/
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