Nuclear News

Japanese nuclear reactor resumes operation two years after accident

Jan 10, 2007, 11:55 GMT

Tokyo - A nuclear reactor in northern Japan resumed operations Wednesday after sitting idle for more than two years following a deadly steam leak.

The Kansai Electric Power Co announced the restart of its reactor at its Mihama plant in Fukui prefecture although experts have said the 30-year-old reactor is prone to more accidents.

An investigation found that rusty pipes, which had not been inspected for 28 years, to be the cause of the non-radioactive leak in August 2004, which killed four people and sent seven to hospital.

Kansai decided to resume full-scale operations at the reactor after running a test for two weeks in the autumn, media reports said.

During initial operations, technicians are to fine-tune the running of the reactor before starting commercial operations in early February, the company said.