Japan has suspended operations at the world’s largest nuclear power plant, hours after its restart, its operator has said
An alarm sounded “during reactor-start-up procedures” at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa north-west of Tokyo but the reactor remained “stable”, Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) spokesperson Takashi Kobayashi said.
Reactor number six restarted on Wednesday a day later than planned due to an alarm malfunction – the first at the plant to be turned on since the 2011 Fukushima disaster.
Japan shut down all of its 54 reactors after a 9.0 magnitude earthquake triggered a meltdown at its Fukushima plant 15 years ago, causing one of the worst nuclear disasters in history.
At the time, radiation leakage from the plant forced more than 150,000 people to evacuate their homes. Many have not returned despite assurances it is now safe.
Following the suspension of reactor number six on Thursday, Kobayashi said it was “stable and there is no radioactive impact outside”.
The reactor was initially set to start on Tuesday, but was pushed back due to a technical issue. It is due to begin operating commercially next month.
Kobayashi said Tepco was “currently investigating the cause” of the incident and did not say when operations would resume.
The seventh reactor at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa is not expected to be turned back on until 2030, while the other five could be decommissioned.
This would leave the plant with far less capacity than it once had when all seven reactors were operational.
Reactor number six was given the green light to restart despite safety concerns from local residents.
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