Hokuriku Electric shuts coal unit in northwestern Japan

Hokuriku Electric Power Co shut the 700 megawatt coal-fired No.2 unit at its Tsuruga plant in northwestern Japan on Thursday for repair work and inspection.

The unit stopped generating power after a small broken part was found in waste ash at the bottom of a boiler.

The repair and inspection process is expected to take from one week to 10 days.

Hokuriku Electric, one of the country's smallest regional power companies, said it would increase its usage of other fossil fuel plants to ensure stable supplies.

Its sole Shika nuclear plant with capacity of 1,746 MW has been offline since the 540 WM No.1 reactor entered routine maintenance in October.

Japan's power companies have ramped up the operation of fossil fuel plants to make up for idled nuclear reactors amid public concerns over safety after the Fukushima crisis.

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