Mon Nov 04 05:44:59 UTC 2024: ## Japanese Nuclear Reactor Shuts Down Days After Restart Due to Equipment Glitch

**Onagawa, Japan -** The Onagawa nuclear power plant’s No. 2 reactor, which had restarted last week after being offline for 13 years, was shut down on Monday due to an equipment malfunction. The reactor, located on Japan’s northern coast, had been expected to begin generating power in early November.

The plant operator, Tohoku Electric Power Co., reported that the reactor had been functioning normally and there was no release of radiation into the environment. However, a glitch in a device related to neutron data inside the reactor triggered the shutdown on Sunday.

The reactor is one of three at the Onagawa plant, which survived the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that devastated the nearby Fukushima Daiichi plant. While Onagawa successfully maintained its cooling systems and shut down safely, the Fukushima disaster led to the shutdown of all 54 commercial nuclear power plants in Japan for safety checks and upgrades.

Onagawa No. 2 was the 13th of the 33 still useable reactors to restart. The Japanese government, aiming to secure a stable energy supply and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, has been pushing to accelerate reactor restarts. However, concerns about the government’s nuclear energy push intensified after a magnitude 7.5 earthquake in January 2024 highlighted vulnerabilities in the country’s disaster preparedness.

While the reactor shutdown is a setback, Tohoku Electric says they will re-examine equipment to address residents’ safety concerns. No new date for a restart has been announced.

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