Kashiwazaki-Kariwa N-Reactor Resumes Power Generation

Tokyo, March 22 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. said Sunday that the No. 6 reactor at its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant in Niigata Prefecture, central Japan, has resumed electricity generation and power transmission to the Tokyo metropolitan area. The resumption came a day after TEPCO completed the replacement of a damaged part that led to the suspension of power generation and transmission. The company now plans to begin commercial operation of the reactor in April at the earliest. According to the company, an alarm indicating a slight electricity leak from the reactor’s generator went off on the evening of March 12. After the reactor’s output was reduced to about 20 pct, TEPCO halted power transmission to investigate the cause of the trouble. It was found later that a part that detects electricity leakage was damaged due to vibrations from the generator, so the company replaced the part with one less susceptible to vibrations. No actual electricity leak was confirmed. TEPCO restarted the power generation equipment at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, and after confirming that there were no abnormalities, the reactor was reconnected to the power transmission network at 2 p.m. The reactor is expected to raise its output to 100 pct in about a week and plans to shift to commercial operation following a final inspection and confirmation by the Nuclear Regulation Authority. The reactor initially resumed power generation and transmission to the Tokyo area on Feb. 16 for the first time in about 14 years. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]