Fifth Reactor Operating in Japan with Grid Connection of Takahama‑3

Fifth Reactor Operating in Japan with Grid Connection of Takahama-3

World Nuclear Industry Status Report (WNISR), 10 June 1017

The Takahama-3 reactor was connected to the grid on 9 June 2017. The restart of the 33-year old 830 MW Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR), owned by Kansai Electric Power Company (KEPCO) and located on Takahama Bay in Fukui Prefecture in western Japan, follows a ruling on 28 March 2017 by the Osaka High Court that overturned an injunction against operation of the Takahama-3&4 reactors. Full commercial operation of Takahama-3 is planned for early July 2017. Unit 4 was reconnected to the grid on 22 May 2017. Both reactors were ordered shutdown in a landmark judgement by the Otsu District Court in Shiga Prefecture on 9 March 2016 filed by 29 citizens of the prefecture, which borders Fukui Prefecture. Prior to the Otsu court ruling Takahama-3 had been connected to the grid on 1 February 2016 after nearly four years of Long Term Outage (LTO) but was subsequently shutdown on 10 March following the Otsu ruling. Takahama-3 will operate with 24 plutonium-uranium mixed oxide or MOX fuel assemblies, supplied by French company AREVA; unit-4 operates with four MOX assemblies. The restart of Takahama-3 and -4 means that five reactors are operating in Japan, and 33 are in LTO since none of these have generated electricity during 2016-2017. A reactor is designated to be in LTO if it has not generated any electricity in the previous calendar year and in the first half of the current calendar year. WNISR considers that all 10 Fukushima units are shut down and will never restart.