Kagoshima governor once again requests nuclear reactor halt

Governor again requests reactor suspension

Satoshi Mitazono, governor of the southwestern Japan prefecture of Kagoshima, meets with reporters on Sept. 7, 2016, in the city of Fukuoka after issuing a second request to Kyushu Electric Power Co. to suspend operations of two reactors at its Sendai nuclear plant. The utility rejected the initial request issued on Aug. 26.

Kagoshima Gov. Satoshi Mitazono once again requested Wednesday that Kyushu Electric Power Co. immediately suspend the operation of two reactors at its nuclear power plant in the southwestern prefecture after the utility rejected his earlier call.

Following a meeting with Mitazono in Fukuoka, Kyushu Electric President Michiaki Uriu indicated to the press that the operator is likely to reject the request, saying he wants the company to be “spared of” the suspension as it will conduct “special safety checkups” thoroughly on the Sendai nuclear plant reactors — two of only three nuclear reactors currently operating in Japan.

The latest request came after the new governor demanded on Aug. 26 that the utility halt the plant’s Nos. 1 and 2 reactors to verify their safety, citing local worries about the plant’s safety after major earthquakes rocked neighboring Kumamoto Prefecture and its vicinity in April.

http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2016/09/432470.html

September 9, 2016 - Posted by dunrenard | Japan | Kagoshima Governor, Reactor Suspension, Sendai NPP