Tokyo Electric to Delay Niigata Nuclear Plant Restart, NHK Says

(Bloomberg) -- Japanese utility Tokyo Electric Power Co. will delay the restart of its nuclear power unit in Niigata, local broadcaster NHK reported on Monday, following an issue with an alarm that was discovered over the weekend. 

Tepco will push back the restart of unit No. 6 at its Kashiwazaki Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant, which was originally scheduled to resume on Tuesday, NHK reported, citing unidentified people familiar with the matter. The utility will hold a press conference to explain the matter on Monday afternoon, NHK reported. 

A Tepco spokesperson said the company is looking into the impact of the issue on Tuesday’s planned restart, and that officials from the company will brief the press in Niigata prefecture, where the plant is located, at 4 p.m. local time.

Resumption of the Kashiwazaki Kariwa unit — also the biggest nuclear power plant in the world — will be a watershed moment for the company, which has not operated a nuclear power plant since 2011, when its Fukushima facility suffered a meltdown accident following a tsunami. 

The utility announced on Saturday that it suspended a control rod withdrawal test at the reactor after an alarm failed to activate. It said on Sunday that there were issues with the alarm’s settings, which have now been fixed and confirmed to be operating properly.

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