A nuclear power plant in Japan’s central Fukui Prefecture temporarily shut down one of its reactors on Friday morning after a steam leak was detected near a high-pressure turbine, according to the operator.
Kansai Electric Power Co. said the steam did not contain radioactive material and there was no environmental impact outside the facility. The company added that the timeline for restarting the No. 3 reactor at the Mihama plant remains uncertain.
The leak was discovered at around 4:10 a.m., and plant workers manually shut down the reactor roughly 15 minutes later.
The affected unit began operations in 1976 and became the first reactor in Japan to operate beyond 40 years after regulatory changes introduced following the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. Under current rules, reactors are generally limited to 40 years of operation, though extensions of up to 20 years may be granted with approval.
Meanwhile, decommissioning work continues on two other aging reactors at the Mihama facility.
Previously, it was reported Japan restarts the first reactor at the world’s largest nuclear plant since Fukushima.
