idle
国内で唯一、稼働している北海道電力の泊原発３号機に制御棒が入り、５日に停止する予定です。これにより、1970年以来、国内のすべての原発が停止することになります。
idleには「アイドリング・ストップ」でおなじみの「エンジンなどを空回りさせる」という意味の他に「《主に米国（労働者などを〉暇にさせる」→「原発などを停止させる」という意味もあります。以前、扱ったgo offlineということです。（UG）
Friday, May 4, 2012
Last reactor halts Saturday
The nation's last active nuclear reactor will go offline Saturday, leaving Japan completely devoid of an energy source that accounted for around 30 percent of its electricity when all systems were operating.
None of the suspended reactors has been restarted because of safety concerns sparked by the triple-meltdown crisis at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima No. 1 power plant in March last year. The nation had an inventory of 54 reactors before the crisis.
If Japan continues to shun nuclear energy, power shortages will become a constant threat each summer, inconveniencing the public and acting as a drag on economic activity.
When the Tomari reactor is idled, it will mark only the second time that all of Japan's nuclear reactors have been halted since the industry got its start in 1966.
