That same day, according to the company, the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) carried out an integrated performance test, checking temperature and pressure of the generating facility to ascertain that the reactor was operating stably – normally the final step in a periodic inspection. Upon receipt of a certificate of compliance, Kyushu Electric Power shifted the status of the reactor to commercial operation at 3:30 p.m.
Governor Mitazono, twice, in August and September, asked the power company to temporarily suspend operation of both Sendai-1 and Sendai-2, which the company rejected both times. The periodic inspection of Sendai-1 began on October 6, 2016. As part of the inspection, the reactor was restarted and power generation was resumed in December. In parallel, as an accommodation to the governor, the company carried out additional “special inspections” and reported to the prefecture that there were no abnormalities in regard to the facility.
Kyushu Electric Power will present the results of the periodic inspections of both units at a meeting of a prefectural panel of experts scheduled for February 7. The panel was established to verify the safety of nuclear power plants.
A periodic inspection of the Sendai-2 began on December 16, 2016. The unit will be shut down until the latter half of February.
