The 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck central Japan on New Year's Day caused a series of problems at a nuclear power plant in Ishikawa Prefecture.
Shaking from the quake partially exceeded projections by Hokuriku Electric Power Co., the operator of the nuclear plant in Shika, where the temblor measured 7, the highest level on Japan's seismic intensity scale. Issues at the plant due to the quake included oil leaks from a transformer and power transmission line damage.
Both the No. 1 and No. 2 reactors at the Shika plant have been idled since March 2011, with a total of 1,657 nuclear fuel assemblies in spent fuel storage pools being cooled using external power sources.