Japan set to restart nuclear reactors

A power plant operator will restart a reactor in southern Japan today, the first under new safety requirements following the Fukushima disaster and a milestone for the nation’s return to nuclear power.

Kyushu Electric Power said it will restart the No 1 reactor at its Sendai nuclear plant this morning. It will be Japan’s return to nuclear energy since the 2011 meltdowns at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in northeastern Japan, following an earthquake and tsunami. The disaster displaced 100,000 people, due to radioactive contamination.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority affirmed the safety of the Sendai reactor, and a second one at the plant, last September, under stricter safety rules imposed after the accident, the worst since the 1986 Chernobyl explosion. The second reactor will be restarted in October.