The Tomari-3 nuclear reactor unit in Japan has begun commercial operation, making it the country’s 54th commercial nuclear unit.
The 866-megawatt pressurised water reactor began commercial operation at 16:05 local time on 22 December 2009, the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum (JAIF) said.
The unit, owned and operated by the Hokkaido Electric Power Company, is some 60 kilometres west of Sapporo on the northern island of Hokkaido.
Tomari’s three units are expected to account for about 40 percent of the company’s total generated electricity, JAIF said.
Units 1 and 2 are both 550 MW pressurised water reactors which entered commercial operation in 1989 and 1991 respectively.
