21 applications for restart

March 11 , 2015

Utilities apply to restart 21 reactors

Mar. 11, 2015 - Updated 11:02 UTC+1

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20150311_22.html

Japanese utilities have applied to restart more than 40 percent of the country's reactors, which remain offline 4 years after the Fukushima Daiichi disaster.

Regulators had received applications to screen 21 reactors at 14 plants as of Wednesday. All 48 of Japan's commercial reactors are offline.

Regulators must determine whether operators' safety measures are meeting new, stricter government requirements for earthquakes, tsunami and severe accidents. The measures against severe accidents were put in place after the 2011 nuclear crisis.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority has so far given the green light to 4 reactors at 2 plants.

2 of the reactors are at the Sendai plant in Kagoshima Prefecture, southern Japan, while the others are at the Takahama plant in Fukui Prefecture, central Japan.

No restart dates have been set yet. The city hosting the Sendai reactors has given its approval, but equipment at the plant must still be given a thorough inspection. The reactors might be restarted as early as May, but summer or later are also possibilities.

The Takahama reactors have yet to gain local approval. They must also still pass inspection by the regulator and others.

Regulators are screening 5 other reactors that appear to have met requirements for withstanding earthquakes and tsunamis.

Utilities may scrap some old reactors rather than apply for restarts. Seven reactors will be at least 40 years old by July 2016. Utilities could decide to decommission 5 of them.

The government allows reactors to run for 40 years in principle, with a one-time extension of up to 20 years.
The operator of 2 reactors is inspecting them with an eye to applying for extensions.