TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's nuclear power plant utilization rate fell to an average 33.9 percent in July, the lowest in at least 32 years, Reuters calculations from trade ministry data showed on Monday, as public worries over safety kept reactors offline after they had completed routine maintenance.
The run rate fell further from June's 36.8 percent and was less than half the 70.0 percent rate a year earlier. It also dipped below the 34.2 percent rate for May 1979, the last month for which data was available.
The prolonged radiation crisis at Tokyo Electric Power's Fukushima Daiichi plant has stirred fears about nuclear safety, leaving local governments wary about granting approvals to restart reactors taken offline for maintenance.