Monju: New maintenance errors

 March 26, 2015

More errors with Monju nuclear reactor maintenance found

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20150326p2a00m0na007000c.html

Several more maintenance problems have been discovered at the Monju fast-breeder reactor facility in Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture, which has been banned from operation following the discovery of over 10,000 cases of maintenance errors in 2013, it has been learned.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) secretariat revealed on March 25 that the newly discovered maintenance errors -- which involve the facility's piping system -- mean that Monju operator Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) may have violated safety regulations.

The NRA secretariat conducted safety inspections on pipes and other components at the troubled Monju facility between March 2 and 20. JAEA is responsible for checking the thickness and corrosion of the cooling pipes and the pipes for liquid sodium circulation, but the agency has failed to conduct the checks properly, only conducting visual inspections of the pipes, it is reported.

The NRA secretariat plans to report the matter to the NRA as early as May this year after examining details of the inspection and confirming the number of maintenance errors.

While an NRA secretariat representative said it has been confirmed at the inspection that the errors are not imminent threats to the safety of the facility, JAEA's latest failure may further delay the restart of the Monju reactor.

March 26, 2015(Mainichi Japan)