Arkansas Online

Reactor off since 2011 put back online

— COMPILED BY DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE STAFF FROM WIRE REPORTS

TOKYO — A more than 40-year-old nuclear reactor in central Japan that suffered a deadly accident has resumed operation after being taken offline for a decade after the March 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, as Japan pushes to meet its carbon emissions reduction goal.

Kansai Electric Power Co. said the Mihama No. 3 reactor in Fukui prefecture went back online Wednesday after workers removed control rods inside the reactor.

The reactor, which started operating in 1976, is one of Japan’s oldest. It’s one of three operated by Kansai Electric that were granted extensions to operate beyond their initial 40-year life span, and is the first of the three to resume operation since meltdowns at the Fukushima plant prompted extended safety checks and tougher standards at all Japanese reactors.

Some residents of Fukui and nearby areas filed a request for an injunction with Osaka District Court on Monday because of concerns about the aging Mihama reactor. It had an accident in 2004 in which hot water and steam leaked from a ruptured pipe in its turbine building, killing five workers and injuring six.

International

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2021-06-25T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-06-25T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://edition.arkansasonline.com/article/281775632127776

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