Onagawa Nuclear Reactor Shut Down After Restart

The No. 2 reactor at the Onagawa nuclear power plant in Japan, which had just restarted on October 29 after 13 years, was shut down five days later due to an equipment issue. Tohoku Electric Power Co. reported that a device related to neutron data malfunctioned, prompting the decision to halt operations for safety checks, despite no radiation release. The Onagawa plant, which successfully operated its cooling systems during the 2011 tsunami disaster, is part of Japan's broader push to maximize nuclear energy use to meet carbon neutrality goals by 2050. The reactor had recently passed stringent safety standards and was the first of its type to restart since the Fukushima disaster. Concerns over nuclear safety persist, especially after a recent 7.5 magnitude earthquake in January 2024 caused significant damage and casualties in Japan.