Kansai Electric Restarts Mihama N-Reactor

Fukui, Nov. 21 (Jiji Press)--Kansai Electric Power Co. said Thursday that the No. 3 reactor at its Mihama nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture, central Japan, has resumed operations that had been suspended since October due to damage to a pipe.

The reactor was restarted at 1 a.m. Thursday and reached criticality, or a self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction, three hours later, Kansai Electric said. It is expected to start power generation at night on the same day.

During a routine inspection of the reactor last fiscal year, it was found that the polyethylene coating protecting the inside of a pipe used in a cooling system of the reactor vessel had peeled off.

After the problem was fixed with epoxy resin susceptible to erosion, reduction in the wall thickness and holes were found, forcing Kansai Electric to suspend the reactor on Oct. 15.

The damaged pipe was replaced with a pipe protected with polyethylene lining.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]