Faults at Higashidori too

 March 25, 2015

Panel: Faults under Higashidori plant may move

Mar. 25, 2015 - Updated 10:36 UTC+1

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20150325_31.html

An expert panel has told Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority that 2 faults under the Higashidori nuclear power plant site in northern Japan may move.

The plant's operator, Tohoku Electric, is applying to have the regulator assess the plant's planned safety measures, a precondition for restarting the facility. But the panel's finding could affect the regulator's discussions on the measures.

The panel submitted its report on the plant in Aomori Prefecture on Wednesday. It says the 2 faults that may shift are west of a reactor building.

Tohoku Electric had claimed that deformation of land above the faults was attributed to swelling of rocks rather than movement of the faults.

But the report says the operator's claim lacks sufficient data and doesn't properly explain the area's topography.

Observers say the authority's commissioners may urge the operator to take more quake-resistance measures during the screening process, leading to longer discussions.

The report also refers to another fault under key nuclear facilities including a cooling water intake.

But it stops short of assessing the fault, leaving it a likely focus of debate among the commissioners. The experts say they could not agree on a conclusion regarding the fault.