Breaking NewsAug. 11, 2015 - Updated 01:45 UTC (10:45 JST) Sendai nuclear plant restarted A reactor at the Sendai nuclear power plant in southwestern Japan was restarted on Tuesday morning. It's the first time in nearly 2 years that a nuclear power station has been put back online in Japan. Efforts to improve nuclear plant evacuation roads Nuclear & Energy Aug. 10, 2015 - Updated 05:57 UTC-4 Some residents near the nuclear power plant in Satsumasendai City in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, are questioning the feasibility of evacuation plans drawn up by local communities. 9 towns and cities within 30 kilometers of the plant have already drawn up evacuation plans for their residents. But some of the roads designated as evacuation routes have problems. In Takae Town, a prefectural highway turns into a single-lane road with narrow sections where there are no sidewalks. Other sections are close to the mouth of a river and the sea and could be flooded in the event of tsunami. An NHK survey shows that 6 of the 9 municipalities have acknowledged problems including traffic jams that might occur during evacuations. The prefectural government of Kagoshima has started repair work such as widening roads and reinforcing embankments at 11 sections of such routes. However, the work is expected to take 7 to 8 years to complete. Some municipal offices are improving forestry roads that can be used for evacuation. Officials say if a disaster causes traffic congestion, authorities may redirect people and vehicles to use forestry roads for evacuation. Yuichi Kojima, a senior Kagoshima prefectural official, says the prefecture is giving top priority to improving evacuation routes and will also work with local municipalities to secure smooth evacuations. Sendai reactor to restart on Tuesday Nuclear & Energy Aug. 10, 2015 - Updated 04:13 UTC-4 The operator of the Sendai nuclear power plant in southwestern Japan will restart one of its reactors on Tuesday morning. The 2-reactor plant in Kagoshima Prefecture would be the first to operate under new regulations introduced after the Fukushima Daiichi accident in 2011. Kyushu Electric Power Company on Monday reported to Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority that it plans to begin removing control rods at 10:30 AM on Tuesday to activate the No.1 reactor. The utility says it will achieve a sustained nuclear chain reaction in about 12-and-a-half hours. Power generation is expected to start in about 3 days. Kyushu Electric plans to gradually increase the output of the reactor and start commercial operation in early September. The operator also says it will carefully watch for abnormalities in equipment used for the process, as the facility has been offline for more than 4 years. The No.1 reactor has undergone inspections required for the resumption since March. The Sendai plant would be the first nuclear facility in the country to resume operations in almost 2 years. Kyushu Electric on Monday issued a statement saying the company will place the highest priority on safety. They will thoroughly comply with government inspections in order to take careful steps in the restarting process. Civic group members have organized a protest rally in front of the Sendai nuclear plant due to restart on Tuesday. The group says 350 people from across the country gathered near the facility in southern Japan on Monday. The head of the group, Mukohara Yoshitaka, said they will not tolerate the plant's restart by Kyushu Electric Power Company. He called on protesters to make their opposition heard. Locals together with a resident from Fukushima pointed out that there are still people evacuated from their homes in Fukushima where the Daiichi plant failed. They said the Sendai plant restart may result in the same tragedy. Participants chanted their slogan, “Stop the restart". A participant said she cannot allow the restart as the plant operator has not sufficiently discussed safety issues with residents. The group says their members will meet in front of the plant again on Tuesday. One more Fukushima worker found dead with his head caught in the lid of a vacuum truck http://fukushima-diary.com/2015/08/one-more-fukushima-worker-found-dead-with-his-head-caught-in-the-lid-of-a-vacuum-truck/ What do you do with old nuclear power stations? http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zcy3r82#orb-banner http://www.renewableenergyfocus.com/ Price of wind energy in the United States is at an all-time low, averaging under 2. 5¢/kwh http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/08/150810123854.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm;_medium=feed&utm;_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fmatter_energy%2Fenergy_technology+%28Energy+Technology+News+--+ScienceDaily%29 GENI Logo - Global Energy Network Institute http://www.geni.org/globalenergy/research/index.shtml?gclid=Cj0KEQjwl6GuBRD8x4G646HX7ZYBEiQADGnzugZAXSNKmNknvR9V3fIOMVci4QT7rCJuyWghU_SDDqcaAt1U8P8HAQ

• published: 11 Aug 2015
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