The Hamaoka nuclear power plant was completely shut down Saturday following an unprecedented request by the government due to fears of a large earthquake possibly hitting the area on an active major fault line, the operator was quoted as saying by Kyodo news agency. Chubu Electric Power Co. said it hopes to resume the plant in Shizuoka Prefecture soon after taking measures to block quake-triggered tsunami waves but Gov. Heita Kawakatsu remains cautious about the idea. The government said the suspension will last for two to three years. Power generation was halted at 10:15 a.m. (Local Time) at the No. 5 unit, the last active reactor at the plant in Omaezaki about 180 kilometers southwest of Tokyo. Atomic fission was completely stopped in the early afternoon after the utility put all 205 control rods into the reactor's core, Kyodo added.
