TOKYO - Japan's Kansai Electric Power Co. (9503.T: Quote, Profile, Research) said last week it was likely to delay the restart of a nuclear power generation unit at its Mihama plant in Fukui prefecture, western Japan, because of a coolant leak.
Kansai Electric found late on Thursday that the coolant boracic, containing a very small amount of radiation, had leaked from the Mihama No. 1 unit, a company spokesman said.
The leak has been stopped and the radiation did not have an impact on the outside environment, the spokesman said.
Kansai Electric shut the 340,000-kilowatt No. 1 unit on Sept. 5 for inspections, which had been scheduled to last two weeks, following a fatal accident at the Mihama No. 3 unit on Aug. 9.
"We need some more time to fix the part (that caused the leak)," the spokesman said.
All 11 of Kansai Electric's nuclear units are located at three plants in Mihama, Takahama and Ohi in Fukui prefecture. Of those, only three units are currently generating power.
REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
