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Japan restarts first nuclear plant amid mass protests
Japan’s Kansai Electric Power Company has restarted a reactor at its Ohi nuclear power plant after a 15 month break. The move has been met with protest, as tens of thousands have rallied throughout Japan since March in opposition to nuclear energy.
Ever since Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda’s government moved forward with the decision to restart some of the country’s nuclear reactors on June 16, there has been a chain of demonstrations against renewal of nuclear energy in Japan.
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Tokyo on Friday carrying banners to protest a return to nuclear power in Japan. Protesters surrounded Noda's residence in central Tokyo to make sure their message would not be ignored.
Despite massive public opposition, the government refused to reconsider its decision on practical grounds. Prior to the March 2011 Fukushima disaster, Japan drew approximately 30 per cent of its energy from nuclear power. The closure of nuclear power plants has created an energy vacuum, with supplies falling short by 14 per cent in Tokyo and up to 16 per cent in western Japan.
Source and full story with photos: Russia Today, 01 July 2012
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Problem after problem at Japan’s restarted nuclear plant
Kansai Electric Power Company, the operator of the Ohi nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture, will restart the No.3 reactor on Sunday night for the first time in 15 months.
It will reach the critical stage on Monday morning. This is where a self-sustaining chain reaction of nuclear fission is established.
An interruption in the power grid monitoring signal, an accidental switch-off of the power source for monitoring instruments and six other minor problems have taken place.
Alarms sounded off in the central control room for the Reactor 3?s pump in the afternoon of June 29, according to Jiji Tsushin (6/29/2012). The pump circulates the primary coolant that goes into the Reactor 3 Pressure Vessel.
In a matter of few days, Ooi Nuclear Power Plant has managed to have three separate minor problems, and two of them triggered alarms. First it was poor maintenance, then it was a human error, then probably another case of poor maintenance.
Source: NHK and Jiji Tsushin via ENE News, 29 June 2012