美浜原発３号機の運転再開　１カ月ぶり、配管損傷で―関電

　関西電力は２１日、配管の損傷で１０月から停止していた美浜原発３号機（福井県美浜町）の運転を同日未明に再開したと発表した。同日午後８時ごろに発送電も再開した。
　関電によると、２１日午前１時に３号機の原子炉を起動させ、同４時に核分裂反応が連続する「臨界」に達した。（2024/11/21-20:43）

Kansai Electric Power Co. said Thursday that the No. 3 reactor at its Mihama nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture, central Japan, has resumed operations that had been suspended since October due to damage to a pipe.
   The reactor was restarted at 1 a.m. Thursday and reached criticality, or a self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction, three hours later, Kansai Electric said. It is expected to start power generation at night on the same day.
   During a routine inspection of the reactor last fiscal year, it was found that the polyethylene coating protecting the inside of a pipe used in a cooling system of the reactor vessel had peeled off.
   After the problem was fixed with epoxy resin susceptible to erosion, reduction in the wall thickness and holes were found, forcing Kansai Electric to suspend the reactor on Oct. 15.
   The damaged pipe was replaced with a pipe protected with polyethylene lining.