Tokyo, May 8 (SANA) Japan suspended operations at one of its nuclear reactors in Fukui Prefecture on Friday after a steam leak was detected at the facility.
The Japanese news agency Kyodo reported that Kansai Electric Power, the operator of the Mihama nuclear power plant, discovered a steam leak near the high-pressure turbine inside Unit 3 of the plant. The company said the leaked steam showed no signs of radioactive contamination and that no impact has been recorded outside the facility.
Unit 3, which began operations in 1976, became Japan’s first nuclear reactor to operate beyond 40 years when it was reauthorized in 2016 under new safety regulations introduced following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. In March 2011, a powerful earthquake off northeastern Japan triggered meltdowns in three reactors at the Fukushima plant, causing one of the worst nuclear disasters in history and leading to sweeping plant closures and a fundamental overhaul of Japan‘s energy policy.
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