Reactor 3 at the Oi power plant in Fukui Prefecture attained a self-sustaining chain reaction, or criticality, early Monday after being restarted the previous night, becoming the first in the nation reactivated since the Fukushima meltdown crisis effectively shut down the nuclear power industry.
Kansai Electric Power Co.’s reactor 3 in Oi, Fukui Prefecture, was taken offline for mandatory checks in March last year. It is now slated to gradually increase output and resume power transmission as early as Wednesday, and reach full operation Sunday.
The utility is firing up the 1.18-million-kw reactor to help supply power this summer, despite the presence of hundreds of protesters there since Saturday.
Continue reading at Oi’s reactor 3 first to go critical after Fukushima
