Japanese regulator bans restart at nuclear plant over safety breaches

Fukushima plant operator Tepco suffers blow to plans to resume at its only operable atomic facility

The operator of the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant has been prevented from restarting its only operable atomic facility after a series of safety breaches, dealing a significant blow to Japanese attempts to resume nuclear power generation.

Japan's nuclear regulator is to issue a corrective action order" on Wednesday that would ban Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) from transporting new uranium fuel to its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant in Niigata prefecture or loading fuel rods into its reactors.