Vivien Diniz reports that bringing nuclear power back online in Japan has been not been an easy route for the government, who shut down all its reactors in the wake of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Since Fukushima, the country has relied heavily on imported fuel has been anything but inexpensive, making nuclear restarts increasingly attractive. However, with every step forward Japan makes, it seems like there is always two steps backwards.
In an attempt to win public support, the government has implemented stricter rules, and is pressing for utilities to consider permanently closing some older reactors which have higher safety hurdles than the rest. The being said, the eruption of Mount Ontake over the weekend, has once again sparked concerns over the safety of restarting the nuclear facility. However, the Nuclear Regulation Authority gave the final safety approval to Kyushu Electric Power Sendai nuclear plant in southwestern Japan on September 10. While the two-reactor plant still needs to pass operational safety checks, and win approval of local authorities, the plant could be the first nuclear power station to reopen since the Fukushima disaster in 2011. If the reactor can clear the remaining hurdles, it could restart in early 2015.
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