TOKYO - Another Japanese nuclear reactor was taken off line Monday for maintenance, leaving the country with only one of its 54 reactors operational after last year’s devastating earthquake and tsunami.
The last reactor is expected to be shut down by early May, raising the possibility of power shortages across the nation as demand increases in the hot summer months.
The No. 6 reactor at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa complex was taken off line by the Tokyo Electric Power Co. The utility also runs the plant in Fukushima, northeast of Tokyo, that suffered meltdowns, explosions, and radiation leaks after the March 11 quake and tsunami.
With concerns over nuclear safety high after the Fukushima crisis, none of the reactors that have been shut down for checks, and none that were already off line at the time of the disaster, have been allowed to restart.
The last reactor, on the northern island of Hokkaido, will be shut down in May. The timing for when any reactors will be restarted remains unclear.
Last week, Japan’s nuclear watchdog moved the country a step closer to reopening the plants, triggering angry protests at a public hearing in Tokyo.
Safety tests on two reactors at Kansai Electric Power Co.’s Ohi nuclear plant were effective, the Nuclear Safety Commission said, but it stopped short of full approval. It said the second phase of tests should be done quickly. The commission members faced intense criticism at the meeting from people who oppose atomic power. They were accused of being irresponsible and issuing a report without sufficient discussion and investigation on nuclear safety.