The operator of a nuclear power plant in western Japan has shut down one of its reactors because of leaking radioactive water.
The shutdown at the Mihama nuclear plant means just eight of the country’s 54 reactors are online, with power shortages expected in parts of Japan this winter.
The operator of the plant has shut down the reactor, which has been leaking since last month, because there is a risk the water will spill over the top of a tank where it is being collected.
It comes as the operator of Japan’s crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant considers dumping water it treated for radiation contamination into the ocean.
Tokyo Electric Power says it is running out of space to store some of the water it treated at the plant due to an inflow of groundwater.
“We would like to increase the number of tanks to accommodate the water but it will be difficult to do so indefinitely,” Tepco spokesman Junichi Matsumoto said.
He says the plant is likely to reach its storage capacity of about 155,000 tonnes around March.
Tepco plans to come up with possible ways to handle radioactive waste and present its proposals to the government’s nuclear regulatory body for approval.
The news prompted protest from university experts and fishing groups.
“The government should not, and must not, approve a plan allowing Tepco to dispose treated water in the ocean,” said Kenji Sumita, an emeritus professor at Osaka University who specialises in nuclear engineering.
“The reality is that semipermanent storage is the only solution available under current technological constraints.
“Tepco may have to find the storage space and look for a technological breakthrough in the coming years that allows it to condense and greatly reduce the volume of tainted water.”
The admission is a setback for the utility, which appeared to be making progress in its clean-up.
