japan orders nuclear reactors back online

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303734204577469581888008146.html

TOKYO—Japan ordered a pair of nuclear reactors back online for the first time since the March 11, 2011, disaster, in the government's strongest push yet to get the country's economy back on track after last year's accident at Fukushima Daiichi.

The government on Saturday formally decided to approve the restart of two reactors at the Oi nuclear power plant in Fukui prefecture in western Japan, industry minister Yukio Edano said at a press conference in Tokyo. The controversial decision came after months of safety checks by regulators and negotiations with the local communities hosting the plant, culminating with the official agreement, conveyed to the government Saturday, of the governor of Fukui.

"We understand that we have not obtained all of the nation's understanding,'' Mr. Edano said, referring to widespread criticism of the Oi restarts from people including the mayor of Osaka and the governors of nearby Shiga and Kyoto prefectures. "Still, we believe we have got some degree of understanding."

Public opinion polls show that a majority of Japanese now oppose the use of nuclear power.

Mr. Edano stressed that the pair of reactors, which have been offline since last year, won't be reconnected to the electricity grid until they've been completely powered up and tested to make sure they are running safely, a process likely to take two or three weeks for each one. Kansai Electric Power Co., the operator of Oi, separately said Saturday that it expects it can restart Oi's No. 3 reactor in early July and No. 4 in mid or late July.

Mr. Edano also said that the government's long-term stance on reducing dependence on nuclear power remains unchanged, despite the restart decision.

The restart of Oi's No. 3 and 4 reactors would effectively switch nuclear power back on in Japan for the first time since last year's earthquake and tsunami knocked out power at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi plant, sparking meltdowns, explosions and a release of radiation second only to the Chernobyl nuclear accident in 1986. Concerns over safety led utilities to put off restarting other reactors after they went offline for routine maintenance, leading to the eventual shutdown of all 50 units. The last operating reactor went offline in early May, and Japan has been without nuclear power ever since—a big shift in a country which had previously depended on atomic energy for about 30% of its electricity.

The Japanese government has been pushing for the Oi restarts to help stave off a predicted power crunch in western Japan this summer, when energy use peaks. Kansai Electric supplies electricity to the area around Osaka, Japan's third-largest city, and relied on nuclear power for around half of that.

The Japanese government had estimated that the area served by Kansai Electric could see a 15% electricity shortfall in July and August, if the Oi reactors remained switched off. Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has also argued that nuclear power will help avert power outages and surging electricity costs, as well as limit dangerous reliance on imported foreign oil. The government estimates Japan's economy could shrink by as much as 5% by 2030 without atomic energy.

Japan's national debate over nuclear power will now likely shift focus to whether and when to restart the remaining 48 reactors.

Next in line is the No.3 reactor at Shikoku Electric Power Co.'s Ikata nuclear power plant on Shikoku island in western Japan.

The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, one of two government organizations that supervise the safety of nuclear power plants, approved a restart of Ikata No.3 in March.

However, Japan's other regulator, the Nuclear Safety Commission, has withheld judgment, since the government is planning to set up a new regulatory organization to replace the old ones. Japan's parliament could pass a bill allowing the creation of that regulator as soon as next week.

Mr. Edano said Saturday that the new organization, which is expected to start operating in September, will decide on whether to restart other reactors including Ikata's. He said he could not comment further about other restarts, since the new organization will be independent from the government.