Japan on Monday restarted the procedures for allowing idled reactors to be brought back online, putting in place new safety regulations that reflect the lessons learned from the 2011 Fukushima No. 1 meltdown disaster.
Power utilities rushed to the Nuclear Regulation Authority to apply for safety assessments on 10 reactors in hopes of cutting their fuel costs, which have soared since the loss of atomic power forced them to revert to thermal power generation.
But none of the reactors is likely to be restarted anytime soon because it could take at least six months for each assessment to finish.