Japan's Ohi reactor working at full capacity

The second reactor to resume operation in Japan after the nuclear accident in Fukushima is now generating power at full capacity. Officials raised the output of the No.4 reactor at the Ohi nuclear plant in Fukui Prefecture, central Japan, at midnight on Tuesday after final safety checks. The reactor reached its full capacity about one hour later on Wednesday morning. Senior vice industry minister Seishu Makino was at the plant's central control room to oversee the procedure, according to Japan's (NHK World) website. The plant operator, Kansai Electric Power Company, restarted the No.4 reactor on July 18th. Ohi's No.3 reactor resumed operation earlier this month and is running at full capacity. The 2 reactors have the biggest output of those run by Kansai Electric, whose service area covers the country's second-largest city, Osaka. Now that the 2 reactors are working at full swing, the government plans to lift the power-saving targets imposed on the service areas of 3 other utilities in central and western Japan. These firms are supposed to supply electricity to Kansai Electric in the event of power shortages. The government gave the go-ahead for Ohi's restart last month, saying its safety has been confirmed. But a panel of experts is calling for a fresh survey of the underground cracks at the plant to check if they are active faults.