information about Fukushima published in English in Japanese media info publiée en anglais dans la presse japonaise
14 Mai 2015
May 14, 2015
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201505140050
By TOSHIO KAWADA/ Staff Writer
The nation's nuclear watchdog concluded that fault lines running underneath the Shika nuclear power plant in Ishikawa Prefecture may well be active, throwing the prospect of restarting the facility's reactors into doubt.
An expert panel of the Nuclear Regulation Authority, comprising NRA Commissioner Akira Ishiwatari and four external specialists, said May 13 the possibility of the Shika plant standing directly above active faults was very real.
But Yutaka Kanai, vice president of Hokuriku Electric Power Co., the plant operator, said: “We take issue with that conclusion.”
Kanai said the utility will present its “arguments at meetings on screening for restarts.”
The NRA panel plans to release a draft report of its conclusions at its next meeting. If the draft is approved, it will be the second time the nuclear watchdog has reported that fault lines directly beneath a nuclear reactor could be active, following the No. 2 reactor of Japan Atomic Power Co.’s Tsuruga plant in Fukui Prefecture.
Although the Shika plant has been taken offline after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster set off the nuclear crisis in Fukushima, Hokuriku Electric has applied to the NRA for screening to restart its No. 2 reactor. The power company is also seeking to resume operations at the No. 1 reactor.
The company insists there are no active faults beneath the reactors and other key facilities on the plant site, but the expert panel said the S-1 fault line, which runs directly beneath the No. 1 reactor, as well as the S-2 and S-6 faults under cooling pipes connected to the No. 1 and No. 2 turbine buildings, may be active.
Stricter safety standards for nuclear power facilities were established after the Fukushima disaster, which ban plant operators from locating reactors and other key equipment directly atop active fault lines.
If Hokuriku Electric is unable to overturn the decision by the NRA panel, the No. 1 reactor will have to be decommissioned. Because piping is considered among key equipment under the new safety standards, the No. 2 reactor may also have to be decommissioned unless the utility relocates the pipes.
May 13, 2015
http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20150513p2g00m0dm092000c.html
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Geological experts on a panel under the Nuclear Regulation Authority said Wednesday that faults running beneath a nuclear plant in central Japan may be active, clouding the prospects for resumption of its operations.
Four outside experts of the five-member panel told a meeting it is possible the fault running right under the No. 1 reactor at Hokuriku Electric Power Co.'s two-unit plant in Shika, Ishikawa Prefecture, is active.
If the regulator finalizes the judgment based on the panel's opinion, the utility would have no option but permanently shutting down that unit.
The experts also pointed out that two other faults running beneath the plant's emergency equipment could be active.
A regulatory official said the No. 2 unit could avoid a permanent shutdown, but that complex construction work would be required to greatly enhance the facility's safety before restarting it.
In quake-prone Japan, building nuclear reactors or other important facilities directly above active faults is prohibited. The issue came into the spotlight after the 2011 Fukushima meltdowns that resulted in all the country's commercial reactors coming offline by September 2013.
Panel members have "largely agreed" on the evaluation of the faults, said Akira Ishiwatari, the regulator's commissioner who heads the panel, adding he will compile a draft report and present it at the next meeting.
Hokuriku Electric maintains that the faults are not active. "We had it checked by experts when we built the No. 1 unit. I don't think there was a major oversight," Executive Vice President Yutaka Kanai told reporters.
To restart nuclear reactors, operators must pass the regulator's safety screening based on a set of new regulations adopted after the Fukushima Daiichi disaster. Hokuriku Electric has already applied for screening of the No. 2 reactor.
Amid an increase in imported fuel costs for thermal power plants in the absence of nuclear power, utilities are desperate to restart their nuclear reactors. However, many hurdles including the issue of active faults stand in the way.
A reactor at Japan Atomic Power Co.'s Tsuruga nuclear plant on the Sea of Japan coast is likely to be scrapped after a different panel concluded in March that at least one of the faults running under it could move in the future.
At least two key geological faults under Tohoku Electric Power Co.'s Higashidori plant in northeastern Japan are also believed to be active.
The situation could affect the government's plan to continue to use nuclear power even after the Fukushima crisis. It plans to cover around 20 percent of the total electricity supply with nuclear power in 2030, compared with 28.6 percent in fiscal 2010 when the Fukushima accident occurred.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe seeks to restart nuclear reactors that have met the regulator's requirements as soon as possible, but a majority of the public remains opposed to resumption.
May 13, 2015(Mainichi Japan)
Kyodo
May 14, 2015
The news that a nuclear plant on the Sea of Japan coast may have been built on at least one active seismic fault line has cast doubt on whether the plant in Shika, Ishikawa Prefecture, will ever be restarted.
Four outside experts on the five-member panel from the Nuclear Regulation Authority revealed at a meeting Wednesday that it is possible the fault running beneath the No. 1 reactor of the two-unit plant run by Hokuriku Electric Power Co. is active.
If the regulator issues a judgment reflecting that opinion, the utility would have no option but to shut down the unit permanently.
Furthermore, the panel said two other faults running beneath the plant’s emergency equipment could be active, too.
A regulatory official said the No. 2 unit could avoid decommissioning but that complex construction work would be required to bolster its safety before a restart.
In quake-prone Japan, it is prohibited to build nuclear reactors or other important facilities directly on active fault lines. The issue was thrust into the public spotlight after the triple core meltdown at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant in March 2011 that caused all of the nation’s commercial reactors to be taken offline by September 2013.
Panel members have “largely agreed” on the evaluation of the faults, said NRA Commissioner Akira Ishiwatari, who heads the panel. Ishiwatari said he will compile a report on the matter and present it at the next meeting.
Hokuriku Electric maintains that the faults are not active.
“We had it checked by experts when we built the No. 1 unit. I don’t think there was a major oversight,” Executive Vice President Yutaka Kanai told reporters.
To restart a nuclear reactor, the utility that owns it must pass a safety screening based on new regulations adopted by the NRA, which was set up after the Fukushima crisis began. Hokuriku Electric has already requested a safety screening for the No. 2 reactor.
Amid an increase in imported fuel costs for thermal power plants in the absence of nuclear power, utilities are desperate to restart their nuclear reactors. However, many hurdles stand in the way.
A reactor at Japan Atomic Power Co.’s Tsuruga nuclear plant on the Sea of Japan coast is likely to be scrapped after a different panel concluded in March that at least one of the faults running under it could move in the future.
At least two key geological faults under Tohoku Electric Power Co.’s Higashidori plant in Tohoku are also believed to be active.
The situation could affect the government’s plan to continue to use atomic power after the Fukushima crisis. It aims for reactors to account for around 20 percent of the nation’s total power by 2030, compared with 28.6 percent in fiscal 2010 — when the Fukushima No. 1 disaster struck.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe intends to restart nuclear reactors that pass the NRA’s safety tests as soon as possible, but the majority of the public remains opposed.
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