Oi Nuclear Power Plant
Encyclopedia
The is a nuclear power plant
located in the town of Ōi
, Fukui Prefecture
, managed by the Kansai Electric Power Company
. The site is 1.88 square kilometres (464.6 acre).
Nuclear power plant
A nuclear power plant is a thermal power station in which the heat source is one or more nuclear reactors. As in a conventional thermal power station the heat is used to generate steam which drives a steam turbine connected to a generator which produces electricity.Nuclear power plants are usually...
located in the town of Ōi
Oi, Fukui
is a town located in Ōi District, Fukui, Japan.As of 2005, the town has an estimated population of 9,216 and a density of 43 persons per km². The total area is 212 km²....
, Fukui Prefecture
Fukui Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Fukui.- Prehistory :The Kitadani Dinosaur Quarry, on the Sugiyama River within the city limits of Katsuyama, has yielded the Fukuiraptor kitadaniensis and Fukuisaurus tetoriensis as well as an unnamed...
, managed by the Kansai Electric Power Company
Kansai Electric Power Company
, also known as , is an electric utility with its operational area of Kansai region, Japan . The company is regarded as one of the leading companies in Kansai, as well as a leader of the Japanese electric power industry....
. The site is 1.88 square kilometres (464.6 acre).
Reactors on site
| Unit | Type | Commercial Operation | Electric Power |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ōi - 1 | PWR Pressurized water reactor Pressurized water reactors constitute a large majority of all western nuclear power plants and are one of three types of light water reactor , the other types being boiling water reactors and supercritical water reactors... |
March 27, 1979 | 1,175 MW |
| Ōi - 2 | PWR Pressurized water reactor Pressurized water reactors constitute a large majority of all western nuclear power plants and are one of three types of light water reactor , the other types being boiling water reactors and supercritical water reactors... |
December 5, 1979 | 1,175 MW |
| Ōi - 3 | PWR Pressurized water reactor Pressurized water reactors constitute a large majority of all western nuclear power plants and are one of three types of light water reactor , the other types being boiling water reactors and supercritical water reactors... |
December 18, 1991 | 1,180 MW |
| Ōi - 4 | PWR Pressurized water reactor Pressurized water reactors constitute a large majority of all western nuclear power plants and are one of three types of light water reactor , the other types being boiling water reactors and supercritical water reactors... |
February 2, 1993 | 1,180 MW |
Events
- On December 22, 2005 8:50am there was trouble with a power line due to strong winds and heavy snow, the reactor was shut down as a result.
- On July 15, 2011, Kansai Electric announced that two more nuclear power reactors in Fukui Prefecture would be shut down for regular inspections. The result of this decision was that 6 reactors were shut down, over half the utility's 11 reactors. The No. 4 reactor of the plant in Takahama Town will be brought to a halt for regular inspections on July 21st, and the No. 4 reactor of the plant in Oh Town, on July 22nd. Regular inspections are nearly complete at two other reactors. However the plan of the Japanese government to introduce safety stress tests for the nation's nuclear plants leaves it unclear when they could be brought back on line.
- On July 15, 2011, the pressure in a tank with boric-acid dropped unexpectedly. This tank injects water into the reactor in the event of an emergency. This made it impossible to inject water in a proper way into the No. 1 reactor. The reactor would be manually shut down around 9 PM on July 16 to look into the cause of the problem, although pressure returned to normal in about one hour. It was said that the trouble did not cause any leak of radioactive substances to the outside.