Kansai Electric shuts down Mihama reactor after trouble

Kansai Electric Power Co said early Friday it has finished manually shutting down an aging reactor at the Mihama nuclear power plant in central Japan after water was found dripping from equipment that does not contain radioactive materials.

The utility, which serves the western Japan prefecture of Osaka and surrounding areas, idled the No. 3 unit at the power plant in Fukui Prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast starting on Thursday to look into the trouble.

No abnormal radiation levels have been detected in the surrounding environment, according to the utility and the government of Fukui Prefecture .

Water was seen dripping from insulation around piping at the No. 3 unit during an inspection on Thursday afternoon, according to the utility and the regional government.

Kansai Electric, which serves the western prefecture of Osaka and surrounding areas, said early Friday that the reactor was idled shortly after 4 a.m.

The reactor experienced trouble in May, when steam leaked from a damaged cap on the high-pressure turbine, prompting the utility to shut it down manually.

It entered regular inspections in June ahead of schedule and had just been restarted on Sept 12.

In December, the reactor will mark 50 years since it began operation. The plant’s two older reactors are undergoing decommissioning work.