Japan aims to restart nuclear reactors in April

Japan aims to restart two nuclear reactors at Kansai Electric Power Co's Ohi power plant around April, the Yomiuri newspaper reports, which would mark the first reactor restart since the Fukushima disaster almost a year ago.

However, Trade and Industrial Minister Yukio Edano told reporters he was not setting a deadline to decide on the restarts. The two plants would resume operations pending local approval.

All but one of Osaka-based Kansai's 11 reactors at three nuclear plants are shut. The utility is barely meeting demand during the current winter season with the help of customers' power-saving and assistance from other utilities.

Kansai normally relies on nuclear power for about 50 percent of power generation, the highest of any Japanese utility.

Only three out of 54 nuclear reactors are currently online in Japan. Reactors that were shut for regular checks have been unable to restart since the disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, crippled by a huge earthquake and tsunami last March, sparked public anxiety about atomic safety.

The government aims to restart operations at Ohi plant's No. 3 and No. 4 reactors before the final active reactor in Japan is due to shut by the end of April for regular maintenance, the Yomiuri said, citing several government sources.

The government also took into consideration that the two reactors, each with capcity of 1,180 megawatts, are around 20 years old, so ageing is not a concern, the report added.

Japan's nuclear watchdog, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA), is reviewing the results of stress tests on a number of reactors, including Kansai's Ohi No. 3 and No. 4 units, to gauge their resilience to disasters as a step to restoring public confidence after the Fukushima crisis.

The watchdog is likely to approve the stress test results on the two reactors as early as Wednesday but the government will still need customary approvals from local governments hosting the Ohi plant in western Japan for the reactors to be restarted.

The government aims to win approval from the Fukui prefectural assembly and Ohi Town assembly by March, the Yomiuri report quoted an unidentified government official as saying.

Edano is also set to visit Fukui prefecture soon and give Fukui prefectural governor Issei Nishikawa an update on the government's stance on restart, the report said.

Kansai's last active unit is set to enter maintenance from February 20.