The third nuclear reactor at Tohoku Electric Power’s Onagawa plant in the Miyagi Prefecture went into commercial operation at the end of January.
The 825MWe BWR went online after clearing its final inspection by the country’s Ministry of Economy, Grade and Industry. The reactor connected to the national grid for the first time on 30 May, 2001, and is one of 13 new units scheduled to be operational in Japan by 2010. However, this goal is unlikely to be achieved – there are only three other nuclear reactors under construction in Japan (Higashidori 1, Aomori Prefecture; Hamaoka 5, Shizuoka Prefecture; and Shika 2, Ishikawa Prefecture).
Onagawa 3 is the first unit to be commissioned in more than four years since Kyushu Electric’s Genkai 4 in the Saga Prefecture. With Onagawa 3, Japan now has 52 units in commercial operation.
