"We see this startup as one of the important steps on restart process of the nuclear reactor," Kyushu Electric Power Co said in a Thursday release, stressing that safety remains its top priority in the operation of both the first and the second Sendai nuclear reactors.
The first Sendai reactor was restarted in August and returned to commercial operation last week. The second Sendai reactor will start power generation later this month and is expected to enter commercial operations in mid-November.
"We have resolved never to allow an accident such as that which occurred at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. To be worthy of peace of mind of all our stakeholder, we will promote initiatives for improving the safety and security of nuclear power with voluntary and ongoing measures," Kyushu Electric Power Co said in its Thursday statement.
Currently, 20 reactors at 13 Japanese nuclear power plants are undergoing audits to confirm that their safety standards are in compliance with the new regulations, adopted after the Fukushima meltdown.
The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, which occurred on March 11, 2011, was triggered by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and a subsequent tsunami. Before the disaster, nuclear reactors provided almost 30 percent of Japan's power needs.
After Fukushima, all nuclear power plants in Japan were either closed or their operations were suspended.
The Sendai Nuclear Power Plant is currently the only nuclear power plant operating in Japan.
