TOKYO, July 21 (Reuters) – A court in western Japan on Friday denied an injunction against Shikoku Electric Power Co’s Ikata No. 3 nuclear reactor, the operator said,allowing the plant that restarted last August to continue operations.
The ruling by the Matsuyama District Court is in line with
several other recent decisions after residents concerned about
safety lodged injunctions against nuclear plants across
Japan.
The decision will be a relief for Japan’s nuclear operators
who faced the risk of further delays in firing up mostly idled
atomic generators after the 2011 Fukushima disaster if judges
sided with local residents.
Shikoku Electric said the ruling was appropriate because the
court acknowledged that the company has boosted safety at the
reactor.
The Otsu District Court in March 2016 ordered Kansai
Electric Power Co, Japan’s second-biggest utility, to
shut down reactors at the Takahama plant, in the country’s first
injunction to halt an operating nuclear plant.
The decision was overturned by a high court in March and two
reactors at Takahama plant have since resumed operations.
Source: Nasdaq.com
