Inspection Underway at Onagawa Nuclear Plant
Tohoku Electric Power Co., the operator of the Onagawa nuclear power station in Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, announced on Friday, May 15, that it will halt the facility's No. 2 reactor. The decision comes after a small amount of radioactive steam was detected within the reactor unit's turbine building.
According to reports from the company, the radioactive steam was identified at approximately 5:10 p.m. local time on Friday. Tohoku Electric Power Co. clarified that the halt is specifically for inspection purposes and emphasized that no radioactive materials have leaked into the surrounding environment, ensuring public safety remains intact.
The incident coincided with a period of seismic activity in the region, as a 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck northeastern Japan on Friday night. However, Tohoku Electric Power Co. has dismissed any potential link between the earthquake and the detection of the steam in the turbine building.
The No. 2 reactor had recently been the focus of maintenance efforts, having been taken offline for a regular inspection. The unit was brought back online this past Monday, with commercial operations originally scheduled to resume on June 9. The current halt for inspection may impact the timeline for the return to full commercial service.
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Japan's nuclear reactor to be halted after radioactive steam detected
cgtn.com
