Japan readies nuclear reactor as protests mount
TOKYO, July 1, 2012 (AFP) - Engineers were readying to refire a nuclear reactor on Sunday, despite growing public protests in the aftermath of meltdowns at Fukushima, ending nearly two months in which Japan was nuclear-free.
Control rods that have prevented an atomic reaction inside Unit No. 3 at the Oi plant in western Japan were set to be removed at around 9:00 pm (1200 GMT). The reactor was expected to reach criticality nine hours later.
According to media reports Hundreds of protesters blocked the road to the front gate of the power station, which comes as the latest in a line of increasing- ly vocal anti-nuclear demonstrations. About 200 protesters gathered outside the Oi plant in a face-off with riot police on Sunday, shouting “No to the restart” and beating drums, according to media reports. Around 650 people had taken part in a rally outside the plant on Saturday night, reports said.
The country has been operating without nuclear power since early May when the last of its 50 working reactors was shut down for a scheduled safety check.
Restarts had put been on hold as the government mulled its options following a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami that crippled reactor cooling systems at Fukushima while more giant quakes were forecast to strike Japan.
But on June 16, Prime Minister Yoshihito Noda gave the green light to restart two reactors at the Oi plant in an effort to head off a summer power crunch amid warnings of a huge electricity shortfall.
Prior to Fukushima, nuclear power had supplied a third of Japan's electricity needs.