Advisory group on volcanoes to be established near plants

July 31, 2015

Volcano advisory group for nuclear plants planned

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20150731_35.html

Jul. 31, 2015 - Updated 12:08 UTC+2

Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority plans to establish an advisory group on volcanos near nuclear plants.

The regulator has called on power companies to take measures in case of signs of a huge eruption at such a volcano.

Participants at a meeting on Friday agreed that the NRA will set up the group as early as September. It would offer advice on coming up with criteria for such signs and judging whether observational data involve them.

The group is to include volcano experts and officials from related government agencies.

The Sendai nuclear power plant in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, is expected to go back online in August. It could be the first plant to do so under regulations established after the Fukushima Daiichi accident.

The agency says the possibility of a huge eruption near the plant during its operating life is sufficiently small. But it asked the operator of the plant to stop its reactors and move its nuclear fuel if data show signs of a huge eruption.

Volcano experts, however, say such signs may not be detectable.