Another nuclear reactor was set to shut down Friday, leaving just five in operation nationwide with a generating capacity of 5,058 megawatts, or 10.3 percent of the atomic total.
Shikoku Electric Power Co. was to shut the 566-megawatt No. 2 reactor at its Ikata plant in Ehime Prefecture on Friday night for regularly scheduled maintenance, Akira Hirai, a spokesman for the utility, said by phone. The unit was scheduled to completely stop generating electricity at 11:50 p.m., he said.
After the unit is shut, Shikoku Electric will have no reactors in operation. No date has been set to resume power output at the plant.
Atomic plants nationwide are undergoing extensive safety checks in light of last year's Fukushima disaster.