Monju: Faults unlikely to move

October 7, 2015

Panel: Faults under Monju reactor unlikely to move

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

Oct. 7, 2015 - Updated 15:42 UTC+2

A team of experts has agreed that the faults beneath a fast-breeder reactor in central Japan are unlikely to move.

The 4 experts discussed the faults under the Monju reactor in Fukui Prefecture at a meeting on Wednesday. They are members of a Nuclear Regulation Authority panel.

The experts examined data submitted by the reactor's operator, the Japan Atomic Energy Agency. The data included an analysis of minerals in the faults.

The members agreed that it is unlikely the faults had shifted in the past 120,000 to 130,000 years. New regulations used by the NRA define a fault as potentially active if it shifted within that time.

But the experts also pointed out the need to study whether movement at an active fault running west of the facility might cause the faults under the Monju reactor to shift too.

The members agreed to compile a final report after carrying out onsite surveys of the active fault.

In 2013, many safety inspection oversights were uncovered at the Monju reactor. Its operator has since been banned from conducting test runs.

In August, the regulators found thousands of fresh errors in safety classifications of the equipment and devices at the reactor.