Kansai Electric Power Co. says it will soon decide the fate of 11 aging reactors, while Japan Atomic Power Co. maintains that the nation's oldest reactor will not operate beyond 2016 and is likely to be decommissioned.
The two utilities conveyed the messages to the Fukui government this week, as concerns grow in Kansai for the safety implications of firing up reactors once more and the costs to consumers if they are decommissioned.
Kepco President Makoto Yagi told Fukui Gov. Issei Nishikawa on Tuesday that the utility would soon announce what it plans to do with all 11 reactors it operates in the prefecture.