5 Apr (NucNet): Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) began final “pre-service” inspections at the Ikata-3 nuclear power unit in Ehime Prefecture, southern Japan, the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum (Jaif) said in a statement.
In July 2015 the plant cleared examinations to confirm its compatibility with the new national regulatory standards for nuclear stations introduced after the March 2011 Fukushima-Daiichi accident, the statement said.
The current “pre-service” inspections will aim to confirm that all the equipment and facilities still comply with the July 2015 standards before the actual restart of commercial operation, which the operator Shikoku Electric Power has scheduled for mid-August, Jaif said.
Ikata-3, an 846-megawatt pressurised water reactor, began commercial operation in December 1994 and was shut down in 2012 as part of Japan’s nation-wide response to the Fukushima-Daiichi accident.
The governor of Ehime Prefecture approved the restart of the Ikata-3 reactor in October 2015.
In February 2016, a local assembly turned down a referendum on the restart of the reactor, paving the way for the eventual resumption of operation.
