The local assembly in the Japanese town of Ohi that hosts Kansai Electric Power Co's Ohi nuclear plant agreed on Monday it was necessary to restart two offline reactors, its chairman said.
Power shortages are a concern as all 50 of Japan's nuclear power plants have been shut down following routine maintenance checks in the wake of Fukushima, with the country's last operating reactor going offline on May 4th.
With the shortages looming, the Japanese government has been trying to win approval from towns and prefectures that host reactors. The town of Oi is now the first municipality to approve a restart.
"Largely understanding the necessity of nuclear power and taking into consideration residents' opinions as well as the impact on consumers' livelihoods and the economy, we decided to agree to a restart," Kinya Shintani, chairman of Ohi town assembly, said in a statement.
Last month, Japanese Trade Minister Yukio Edano announced the two reactors at Ohi had cleared the government’s technical review on resilience against severe events. Further discussion lies ahead before the reactors can be reconnected to the grid, including the task of gaining support from residents of regions close enough to be at risk from a nuclear accident but too distant to reap economic rewards.