Ikata No.2 to be decommissioned

March 27, 2018

Ikata No.2 reactor to be decommissioned

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180327_17/

The No.2 reactor at the Ikata nuclear plant in Ehime Prefecture, western Japan, is to be decommissioned.

Board members of Shikoku Electric Power Company made the decision on Tuesday. The reactor went into operation 36 years ago.

Government guidelines introduced after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident limit the operation of reactors to 40 years in principle, but allow for extensions of up to 20 years.

Shikoku Electric decided not to apply for the extension. It said the massive cost of new safety measures required for a restart does not make financial sense.

The utility has already decided to scrap the plant's No.1 reactor. The No.3 reactor was restarted in 2016. But a high court issued an injunction to halt it last December.

The Ikata No.2 reactor is the 9th in Japan now slated for decommission, excluding those at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant.

March 26, 2018

Western Japan nuclear reactor to be scrapped

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180327_01/

A power company in western Japan has decided to decommission an aging nuclear reactor.

The No. 2 reactor at the Ikata plant in Ehime Prefecture has been in operation for 36 years.

Government guidelines introduced after the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident limit the operation of reactors to 40 years in principle.

Shikoku Electric Power Company decided not to apply to extend the reactor's operation for another 20 years, citing the cost of required additional safety measures.

It will inform local authorities of the decision on Tuesday.

The utility has already decided to decommission the plant's No. 1 reactor. And a high court ordered the company to stop operations at the No. 3 reactor last December. The court decision came after the reactor was restarted in 2016.

The No. 2 reactor is the 9th in Japan authorized for decommissioning in the aftermath of the 2011 accident, excluding those at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi plant.