Licensing approvals “very close” for Japan nuclear reactors’ restart

 Licensing approvals “very close” for Japan nuclear reactors’ restart

Japan’s nuclear regulator said it is close to completing its review of two nuclear reactors set to restart under new regulations.
 
Japan’s Nuclear Regulatory Authority approved the restart of two units at Kyushu Electric Power Co.’s Sendai nuclear power plant in September. Since then, the reactors have had to earn regulatory and local government approvals in order to resume operations since they were shut down following the 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. A commissioner with the NRA said regulators were “very close” to finalizing a licensing review of the units, according to Reuters. The commissioner did not give a firm timeframe in the article.
 
Once the licensing procedure is completed, the reactors need to undergo pre-service inspections before they can restart, the article said. Japan’s government reportedly hopes to restart the first reactor by the end of June.
 
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