Checks may further delay Japan nuclear restart

TOKYO — Japan's nuclear plants are likely to stay offline beyond a summer power supply crunch, say analysts, after a government plan for "stress tests" sparked confusion in regions hosting reactors.Tokyo has not given specific details of the new tests or when they start, but will base them on similar moves in the European Union to survey the ability of atomic complexes to withstand extreme events in the wake of the Fukushima crisis.Those tests are expected to take at least two to three months. Japan has been forced to undertake power saving measures amid fears high demand will raise the risk of blackouts in the summer months and possibly beyond."Japanese nuclear facilities are unlikely to restart before the stress tests are finished, so the prospect of nuclear power being available before summer peak demand is now remote," Goldman Sachs said in a note Thursday.Japan's move to order more safety checks has also prompted confusion, given that Tokyo had earlier urged local governments to restart suspended reactors, saying sufficient steps have been taken to operate them safely.The Nikkei business daily said in a Thursday editorial that "the sudden announcement of additional inspections has fuelled confusion when local governments face tough decisions over resuming halted reactors.""If things carry on like this, all (of Japan's) 54 reactors will be stopped within a year, worsening the power shortage and affecting the whole economy."Japan last week began restricting electricity consumption in the Tokyo and Tohoku regions by 15 percent for big users for three months, to limit the risk of blackouts as temperatures rise and demand for air-conditioning spikes.Debate has been ignited in Japan about the safety of nuclear power after the March 11 tsunami tore into the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, triggering reactor meltdowns, radiation leaks and the evacuation of tens of thousands.Prime Minister Naoto Kan has ordered a reappraisal of the country's energy policy and oversight of a nuclear industry seen as too close

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