Japan's Nuclear Regulatory Agency has given a preliminary approval for Kyushu Electric Power's Sendai 1&2 to restart. They are the first such approvals after Fukushima. Japan's 50 reactors, 24 PWRs and 26 BWRs, have been shut down since 2012 awaiting new regulatory reviews that include severe accident provisions.
A mandatory 30-day comment period will run until 15 August, according to a report by Associated Press.
It quoted chairman Shunichi Tanaka who said that Kyushu EPC upraded the plant's seismic resistance and tripled its tsunami wall to 15m.
It also reported that Kyushu EPC now must go through site checks and receive local government consent, which mean it is unlikely to restart before September.
Nuclear industry body Japan Atomic Industry Forum's Atoms in Japan information service reported that July 8 marked the first anniversary of new nuclear regulatory standards in Japan, where 17 other reactors are currently awaiting reviews.
