Japan on Monday
began a process that will see another one of the country's nuclear
reactors
go offline, leaving just two of 54 in operation. Kansai Electric Power Co
(KEPCO), the largest utility firm after Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO),
began lowering power generation in unit three at the
Takahama nuclear plant in Fukui prefecture, a KEPCO spokeswoman said. The
reactor is expected to be shut down completely by midnight, leaving all 11
reactors around the country owned by KEPCO idle, she said.
The move comes on
the day that Japan announced a record trade deficit in January as
fuel imports soared for the resource-poor nation following the nuclear
disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in March.
Before the accident,
which was caused by a deadly earthquake and tsunami, Japan had relied
for one third of its power supply on nuclear energy.
But power companies
including KEPCO, which provides electricity to the major western cities of
Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe, have not been able to resume reactors after
inspection due to the safety concerns of local residents.
Once the Takahama
reactor goes offline it will leave one unit operational at TEPCO's
Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant in central Japan and one at the Tomari plant in
northern Hokkaido.
Those two units are
expected to be closed down for inspection by late April.
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VOCABULARY
1.
Nuclear
Reactors(n) - a large machine that produces nuclear energy, especially as a
means of producing electricity
2.
Generation(v)
- to produce heat, electricity, or another form of energy
3.
Deficit(n)
- the difference between the amount of something that you have and the higher
amount that you need
4.
Relied(v)
- to depend on something in order to continue to live or exist
5.
Resume(v)
- to start doing something again after stopping or being interrupted
6.
Inspection(n)
- a careful examination of something to find out more about it or to check for
anything wrong
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1.
What is nuclear energy?
2.
Discuss about the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
3.
What are the effects of radiation?
4.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of
nuclear power plant?
5.
After the nuclear crisis in Japan, are you in favour
of nuclear energy? Explain.
