FUKUI--The Fukui District Court on Dec. 24 nullified an injunction against restarting two nuclear reactors, paving the way for Kansai Electric Power Co. to resume its nuclear energy operations.
FUKUI--The Fukui District Court on Dec. 24 nullified an injunction against restarting two nuclear reactors, paving the way for Kansai Electric Power Co. to resume its nuclear energy operations.
Presiding Judge Jun Hayashi not only approved the utility’s objection to the injunction, but he also rejected a request for another injunction against the operations of two other Kansai Electric reactors.
Hideaki Higuchi, a different judge of the same court, issued the injunction sought by residents in April against restarting the No. 3 and No. 4 reactors at Kansai Electric’s Takahama nuclear plant in Fukui Prefecture.
Higuchi said the new safety standards of the Nuclear Regulation Authority were too loose, and that the two reactors lacked sufficient safety against earthquakes.
Hayashi overturned Higuchi’s injunction.
A group of residents plans to appeal Hayashi’s decision to the Kanazawa branch of the Nagoya High Court. But with the injunction nullified, Kansai Electric is expected to accelerate moves to bring the Takahama reactors back online.
The NRA concluded in February that the two reactors in the town of Takahama had cleared stricter safety standards that were set after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in March 2011.
On Dec. 22, Fukui Governor Issei Nishikawa gave his approval to restart the reactors.
Kansai Electric plans to restart the No. 3 reactor in late January and the No. 4 reactor in late February.
Currently, only two of Japan’s 43 nuclear reactors are operating, at Kyushu Electric Power Co.’s Sendai plant in Kagoshima Prefecture. Kansai Electric has long been pressing for a resumption of its own nuclear operations.
Hayashi on Dec. 24 also turned down local residents’ request for an injunction against the restarts of the No. 3 and the No. 4 reactors at Kansai Electric’s Oi plant, also in Fukui Prefecture.
Higuchi in May 2014 ordered a suspension of such operations, but Kansai Electric filed an appeal with a high court.
The utility has been able to go ahead with measures to restart the two reactors in the town of Oi during the appeal process.