More news out of Japan

Japan continues on it's reactor resumption path....  baby steps....

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/20...safety-hurdle-toward-resumption/#.VNw1cGiUe3g

Two more of the nation’s idled nuclear reactors obtained safety clearances Thursday from the country’s nuclear regulator, providing another boost for the government’s planned resumption of atomic power generation following the March 2011 triple-meltdown disaster at Fukushima No. 1 power plant. The Nuclear Regulation Authority’s approval of enhanced safety measures outlined by Kansai Electric Power Co. means that the No. 3 and 4 reactors at the utility’s Takahama complex — located on the Sea of Japan coast in Fukui Prefecture — have cleared a key hurdle toward resumption. Among a total of 48 commercial reactors that were gradually taken offline after the Fukushima nuclear crisis, only two other reactors — at Kyushu Electric Power Co.’s Sendai plant in Kagoshima Prefecture — have obtained safety clearance. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is looking to resume the operation of reactors that clear the regulator’s screening, claiming that restarts are necessary for economic growth. The Takahama reactors, however, are not expected to go back online before summer, as the operator still needs to complete other procedures, such as submitting a construction plan, undergoing on-site operational checks and obtaining local approval. The restart also remains uncertain because neighboring municipalities within a 30-km radius of the plant have demanded a greater say in deciding whether to allow it, citing safety concerns. In September, the two reactors at the Sendai plant became the first to meet the country’s stricter safety regulations introduced following the Fukushima crisis, the worst nuclear disaster since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. But the Sendai plant, seen as the closest to resumption, remains offline as the operator is behind schedule in completing necessary procedures