This photo shows the Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant, operated by the Tohoku Electric Power Company, in Onagawa, northeastern Japan. | Photo credit: AP

“A Japanese nuclear reactor that restarted last week for the first time in more than 13 years after surviving the massive 2011 earthquake and tsunami that severely damaged the nearby Fukushima nuclear power plant, was shut down again on Monday November 4, 2024 due to an equipment problem,” its operator said.

The No. 2 reactor at the Onagawa nuclear power plant on Japan’s northern coast was returned to service on October 29 and was expected to begin producing electricity in early November.

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“But it had to be closed again five days after its restart, due to a problem that occurred on Sunday (November 3, 2024) in a device linked to neutron data inside the reactor,” said the operator of the reactor. power plant, Tohoku Electric Power Co..

“The reactor was operating normally and there was no release of radiation into the environment,” Tohoku Electric said. The utility said it decided to close it to reexamine equipment to address residents’ safety concerns. No new restart date has been given.

The reactor is one of three at the Onagawa plant, located 100 km (62 miles) north of the Fukushima Daiichi plant, where three reactors melted following an earthquake and tsunami magnitude 9.0 in March 2011, releasing large amounts of radiation.

The Onagawa plant was hit by a 13-meter (42-foot) tsunami triggered by the quake, but was able to keep its essential cooling systems operating at all three reactors and complete their safe shutdown.

Japan’s 54 commercial nuclear power plants were shut down after the Fukushima disaster for safety checks and upgrades. Onagawa No. 2 was the 13th of 33 still usable reactors to be restarted.

The Japanese government adopted a plan last year to maximize the use of nuclear power and is working to speed up the restart of reactors to ensure a stable energy supply and meet its commitment to achieve carbon neutrality. by 2050.

Concern over the government’s push for nuclear power grew after a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck Japan’s Noto Peninsula on January 1, 2024, killing more than 400 people and damaging more than 1,00,000 structures. It caused minor damage to two nearby nuclear facilities and evacuation plans for the area proved inadequate.