TOKYO, Mar 17 (KYODO/APP/DNA):Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. told nuclear regulators that it will push back the planned commercial operation of the first reactor it has brought back online after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, following signs of an electricity leak.The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant’s No. 6 reactor in Niigata Prefecture, which resumed operation on Jan. 21, was slated to begin commercial operation on Wednesday.
But the utility decided to delay the schedule after an alarm went off last Thursday afternoon indicating a small-scale electricity leak at a power generator.
TEPCO President Tomoaki Kobayakawa told reporters that it is unclear when the company will be able to begin commercial operation, noting that investigation into the incident is ongoing.
“We will stop if there are any concerns. We believe identifying the cause is most important,” he said.
Takeyuki Inagaki, chief of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant said an electricity leak appears more likely than a malfunction in the alarm system.
The No. 6 unit at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant became the first reactor restarted by TEPCO since its Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant suffered fuel meltdowns following a massive earthquake and tsunami that hit northeastern Japan in March 2011.
The reactor reached full output about two weeks before, but its power generation and transmission was halted this weekend due to the electricity leak warning.
The seven-reactor facility, which straddles the city of Kashiwazaki and the village of Kariwa, has a maximum output of 8.21 million kilowatts, making it the world’s largest nuclear power plant by installed capacity. The Nos. 6 and 7 reactors have met the tougher safety standards imposed after the Fukushima Daiichi complex disaster.
Located about 220 kilometers northwest of Tokyo, the plant will supply electricity to the capital and nearby areas.
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