FUKUI, Japan, July 16 (UPI) -- A cooling system malfunction forced the shutdown of a reactor at the Fukui, Japan, Oi nuclear power plant, officials say.
The pressure dropped inside the accumulator in the No. 1 reactor's emergency core cooling system Friday night, Kyodo News reported.
The pressure has been stabilized, however, the Kansai Electric Power Co. said, and the reactor was being shut down Saturday night to find out what caused the loss in pressure. The reactor had been been undergoing maintenance for about four months prior to being put back online, it was reported.
With the shutdown of the No. 1 reactor and two more reactors scheduled to be halted this week for upkeep and inspections, eight of the 13 reactors in Fukui prefecture will be idle, which will affect power supplies in the Kansai region.
