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Nuke reactor shut down 3 days after restart in western Japan

Xinhua, February 29, 2016 Adjust font size:

The No.4 reactor at Takahama plant in Fukui prefecture was shut down only three days after its restart, operator Kansai Electric Power Co. said on Monday.

According to Kansai Electric Power Co., the reactor was automatically shut down after problems with a generator and a transformer triggered alarms.

The reactor renewed operation on Friday despite a radioactive coolant water leak that happened over a week ago and caused an investigation. It reached criticality, or a state of sustained nuclear chain reaction, on Saturday.

There is no problem with the reactor's cooling system this time, and the incident has caused no environmental impact, according to the power company.

The cause of the shutdown is under investigation now, said the company.

There are currently three nuclear reactors in operation in Japan, including the No. 3 reactor at the same plant which resumed operation on Jan. 29, and two reactors at Kyushu Electric Power Co.'s Sendai plant in Kagoshima Prefecture.

The Japanese government is trying to bring all of the nation's 48 reactors back online and make 20 percent of the country's electricity generated from nuclear power by 2030. Endit