Osaka, 3 October (Argus) — Japanese utility Shikoku Electric Power is planning to shut the 890MW Ikata No.3 nuclear reactor on 11 October for three months to carry out maintenance, it said today.
The No.3 reactor at Ikata in western Japan’s Ehime prefecture is expected to restart on 25 December to carry out test generation in the final phase of the turnaround. Normal operation is scheduled to begin on 19 January 2026.
The absence of Shikoku’s sole nuclear fleet would generally prompt the utility to increase thermal output fed by coal and re-gasified LNG as replacement. But electricity demand is expected to be relatively weak in this year’s autumn shoulder season, as there is a 60pc chance of warmer-than-normal weather in west Japan in October with a 40pc probability in November, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. This may discourage the utility to buy excess fuel.
Electricity demand in the Shikoku area averaged 3,311MW during July-September, according to nationwide transmission system operator the Organisation for Cross-regional Co-ordination of Transmission Operators (Occto). Demand has already fallen to an average of 2,763MW on 1-2 October.
Weaker demand weighed on coal- and gas-fired output in the Shikoku region to an average of 1,702MW and 198MW, respectively, on 1-2 October, the Occto data show. These were well below average generation fed by coal and gas at 2,507MW and 206MW, respectively, in July-September.
By Motoko Hasegawa
