Japan’s Kyushu Electric Power Company has announced plans to decommission Genkai 2, a 559MW pressurised water reactor in Saga Prefecture.

Genkai 2 started construction in June 1976 and entered commercial operation in March 1981. The unit was taken offline in January 2011 for a routine outage and has not resumed operation Post-Fukushima. Its operating licence expires in March 2021.

To extend the reactor’s operating life, Kyushu would need to submit a licence extension application to Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority by 31 March 2020.

Kyushu said it had been considering applying for an extension, but in light of new regulatory safety standards and the lack of space at the site to construct facilities required it decided not to go ahead.

Over its lifetime Genkai 2 has generated 119.7TWh of electricity, operating at a load factor of 81%, and playing an important role in providing a stable power supply and in maintaining a low electricity price.

Genkai 1&2 will now be decommissioned with the “highest priority” on safety, Kyushu said. The utility also operates Genkai 3&4 and Sendai 1&2.