The government asked the nuclear plant operators to scrap older reactors as they are considered to be more vulnerable to natural disasters.
Kansai Electric will decommission reactors No. 1 and No. 2 at its Mihama facility, while Japan Atomic Power will decommission a reactor in its Tsuruga plant, in western Japan’s Fukui prefecture.
The three reactors, which have been operating for the past 40 years, have a combined operating capacity of 1,197MW.
The Yomiuri newspaper reported that two more reactors operated by other utilities may also be closed.
The utilities require approval from the government to operate nuclear reactors beyond the 40-year service life.
Kansai Electric plans to restart its other reactors that are around 40 years old at Mihama and Takahama plant, upon receiving approval from the Nuclear Regulation Authority.
The utilities has time until July to apply for extension of their licences.
