Japan restarts nuclear reactor, first since Fukushima

TOKYO, Aug. 11 (UPI) -- A Japanese utility company said Tuesday it restarted a nuclear reactor, the first to do so since the Fukushima Daiichi meltdown in 2011.

"We hereby announce that as of today, Sendai Nuclear Power Unit No.1 has extracted control rods from the reactor and started up at 10:30 a.m. [local time]," Kyushu Electric Power Co. said in a statement. "We see this startup as one of the important steps on restart process of the nuclear reactor."

Japan has been working to reshape its energy sector since the 2011 meltdown of the Fukushima Daicchi nuclear reactor by focusing on energy efficiency, conservation and an increased use of cleaner-burning natural gas to help keep emissions in check.

Greenpeace last year stated its concern over Tokyo's efforts to reintroduce nuclear power to the energy sector, but said some of the renewable and clean-energy momentum is irreversible. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the re-introduction of nuclear power is needed on economic grounds.

Japan, the world's third largest economy, announced in February it exited two quarters of consecutive recession. Gross domestic product during fourth quarter grew by 2.2 percent, but the pace was subdued by a decrease in consumer spending.

Agneta Rising, director general of the World Nuclear Association, said in an emailed statement the decision to introduce nuclear power back to the grid puts the country on the road to recovery

"This is a hugely important step which sets the country firmly on the path to restoring its trade balance and regaining energy independence, as well as reducing emissions," she said.

Japan decommissioned 50 reactors after the 2011 meltdown, forcing it to re-examine its energy mix. Prior to the Fukushima disaster, nuclear had provided about 30 percent of Japan's electricity, with renewable energy accounting for less than 3 percent, excluding hydropower. The country relied heavily in imports of liquefied natural gas in the wake of the disaster.

Kyushu in its statement said it would "never" allow a repeat of the 2011 disaster.

"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," it said.

A magnitude-9 earthquake and resulting tsunami 2011 led to a meltdown at the Fukushima facility, the worst nuclear catastrophe since Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine in 1986.