Japan nuclear operations: Tohoku Electric restarts Onagawa No.2 after maintenance

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Tohoku Electric Power TSE:9506 restarted the 825-megawatt (MW) No.2 reactor at its Onagawa nuclear power station in northern Japan on May 18 following scheduled maintenance and refuelling, a company spokesperson said on Tuesday.The unit had been offline since January. It was restarted on May 11, but shut again on May 16 after a small amount of radioactive steam was found coming from a drain pit in the turbine building, prompting an inspection of a connected valve.The utility found a thin piece of metal stuck inside the valve, preventing it from sealing properly. The valve returned to normal after the metal piece was removed, the company said.Separately, Kansai Electric Power TSE:9503 shut the 826-MW No.3 reactor at its Mihama nuclear power station in western Japan on May 8 due to a technical problem, a company spokesperson said.After an alarm went off, an operator saw steam leaking near the turbine via surveillance cameras inside the turbine building, prompting a manual shutdown. It is unclear when the unit will restart, the spokesperson said.As of Tuesday, Japan has 10 nuclear reactors in operation, with a combined capacity of 10,087 MW.Many utilities are undergoing re-licensing to meet stricter safety standards implemented after the 2011 Fukushima disaster. Prior to the disaster, Japan operated a total of 54 reactors.The table below shows the status of Japan's nuclear power plants.The regional utilities are: Chubu Electric Power TSE:9502, Chugoku Electric Power TSE:9504, Hokkaido Electric Power TSE:9509, Hokuriku Electric Power TSE:9505, Kansai Electric Power TSE:9503, Kyushu Electric Power TSE:9508, Shikoku Electric Power TSE:9507, Tohoku Electric Power TSE:9506 and Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) TSE:9501.In the table, the companies are referred to by their regional names.Japan Atomic Power Company (Japco), a nuclear energy company, owns two reactors.CompanyPlantUnitMWStatusHokkaidoTomari1579Shutdown 22/4/11HokkaidoTomari2579Shutdown 26/8/11HokkaidoTomari3912Shutdown 5/5/12TohokuOnagawa2825Online 18/5/26TohokuOnagawa3825Shutdown 11/3/11TohokuHigashidori11,100Shutdown 6/2/11TepcoKashiwazaki-Kariwa11,100Shutdown 6/8/11TepcoKashiwazaki-Kariwa21,100Shutdown 16/7/07TepcoKashiwazaki-Kariwa31,100Shutdown 16/7/07TepcoKashiwazaki-Kariwa41,100Shutdown 16/7/07TepcoKashiwazaki-Kariwa51,100Shutdown 25/1/12TepcoKashiwazaki-Kariwa61,356Online 9/2/26TepcoKashiwazaki-Kar...

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