Shimane Nuclear Power Plant No. 2 Reactor to be Restarted After Over 12 Years

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
The Shimane nuclear power plant No. 2 reactor, front left, is seen in Matsue in 2022.

The Chugoku Electric Power Co. announced Monday that it will restart the No. 2 reactor of its Shimane nuclear power plant in Matsue next August. This will be the first time the reactor has been operational in 12 years and 7 months since it was shut down in January 2012.

The No. 2 reactor was idled for regular inspection in January 2012, following the March 11, 2011 disaster at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. In September 2021, the Nuclear Regulation Authority formally concluded that the reactor had passed safety review, a prerequisite for restarting. Shimane Prefecture Gov. Tatsuya Maruyama expressed his consent for the restart in June last year.