Japan Restarts First Reactor At Genkai Post Fukushima

Published on Tuesday November 08 2011 (AEST)

A Nuclear reactor at Kyushu Electric Power Co.'s Genkai power plant in Saga Prefecture resumed power generation at around 3 p.m. Wednesday, after it was reactivated late Tuesday following a one-month hiatus, company officials said.

If all runs smoothly, the plant's No. 4 reactor is expected to be back to normal operation Friday, despite opposition from local residents.

It was the first time since the start of the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant in March that a utility has restarted a reactor that went offline due to a technical problem.

The reactor shut down automatically Oct. 4 due to an abnormality in its steam condenser that emerged after repairs were carried out using a faulty manual.