Kyushu Electric Power Co. on March 19 applied for a final safety check of its Sendai nuclear power plant in hopes of restarting the No. 1 reactor there in July.
Kyushu Electric Power Co. on March 19 applied for a final safety check of its Sendai nuclear power plant in hopes of restarting the No. 1 reactor there in July.
The company estimates that it will take the Nuclear Regulation Authority, the government nuclear watchdog, about three months to complete the safety tests at the nuclear plant in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture.
Through screenings and on-site inspections, the NRA will verify whether the performance of equipment at the No. 1 reactor is on par with the utility’s assessment certified by the watchdog.
If the NRA approves, the plant will become the first nuclear power facility to resume operations in Japan after new safety guidelines were established in 2013 following the triple meltdown at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in 2011.
Currently, no nuclear reactors are operating in the country.
According to Kyushu Electric’s plan, the No. 1 reactor will supply electricity to regular households about a week after it is brought online in early July. The company will conduct additional overall checks before it shifts to commercial operations in late August.
Kyushu Electric has a similar plan to restart the No. 2 reactor at the plant in August.