In Japan, operations at the "Kashiwazaki-Kariwa" nuclear power plant, the largest in the world, were suspended just hours after its restart, as reported by Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco). This information appeared on the BBC's pages.
During the reactor startup, an alarm was triggered; however, according to company representative Takashi Kobayashi, the reactor itself remained "stable".
The startup of the sixth reactor took place on Wednesday, a day later than scheduled due to a malfunction in the alarm system. This is the first reactor to be restarted at this plant since the Fukushima disaster in 2011.
Recall that 15 years ago, a strong earthquake with a magnitude of 9.0 triggered an emergency situation at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, which became one of the most serious nuclear disasters in history. Due to radiation leaks, more than 150,000 people were forced to leave their homes, and many of them have not returned, despite claims of the area's safety.
After the Fukushima incident, all 54 nuclear reactors in Japan were shut down. Kobayashi noted that after the sixth reactor was shut down on Thursday, it remained stable, and no radioactive impact on the environment was recorded.
The reactor's startup was initially planned for Tuesday; however, technical issues caused a delay. Commercial operation is expected to begin in February.
Kobayashi added that Tepco "is currently investigating the causes" of the incident but cannot yet report when the reactor will be restarted.
