The operators of the world's largest nuclear power plant in Japan reported its suspension shortly after the restart. According to the BBC, an emergency signal was triggered during the reactor startup at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant, located in Tokyo. However, a representative of Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco), Takashi Kobayashi, assured that the reactor remained "stable" at that moment.
Reactor No. 6 was started on Wednesday, a day later than scheduled due to a malfunction in the alarm system. This was the first startup of a reactor at this plant since the Fukushima disaster in 2011.
It is worth recalling that 15 years ago, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake led to a serious accident at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, which became one of the most well-known nuclear disasters in history. As a result of the radiation leak, more than 150,000 people were forced to evacuate, and many of them have not been able to return despite assurances of the region's safety.
After this tragedy, all 54 nuclear reactors in Japan were shut down. Kobayashi, commenting on the shutdown of the sixth reactor on Thursday, noted that there was no radioactive impact on the environment.
The reactor startup was originally scheduled for Tuesday, but technical issues caused a delay. Commercial operations are expected to begin in February.
Kobayashi added that Tepco is "currently conducting an investigation" into the circumstances of the incident and cannot yet provide information on when the reactor will be restarted.
