Restarting of the 890MW reactor 2, comes on heels of the commissioning of 890MW Sendai reactor 1 in August, following completion of reviews and equipment checks and approval from the country’s atomic regular.
The start of first reactor marks the first to restart following the Fukushima disaster, which prompted shutting down of all 48 nuclear plants in the country over safety concerns.
This in turn forced the country to rely on fossil fuels for power generation.
However, Japan has set a target to source 22% its total electricity supply from nuclear by 2030.
As part of this effort, about 20 reactors at 13 Japanese nuclear power plants are being assessed to ensure their compliance with the safety standards, which were upgraded after the disaster for highest safety.
However, the nuclear reactors restart has been facing oppositions from the public despite electric rate surge due to costly fossil fuels for power generation, reported Reuters.
Kyushu Electric Power plans to commence power generation of the second reactor on 21 October, following which commercial operations will start from around mid-November.
Kyushu Electric Power president Michiaki Uriu said: "We will continue to make sincerely an all-out effort to deal with the Nuclear Regulation Authority’s inspections, and carry out carefully remaining process, putting utmost priority to safety, with a sense of alertness more than ever.
"To be worthy of peace of mind of all our stakeholder, we will promote initiatives for improving the safety and security of nuclear power with voluntary and ongoing measures, and make an effort of positive disclosure and communication activities."
