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February 23, 2014

NRA official says Fukushima problems raising questions over TEPCO's competence

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20140222p2a00m0na002000c.html 

A senior Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) official on Feb. 21 said a string of problems at the crippled Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant was raising questions over the competence of the plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO).

Hideka Morimoto, deputy secretary-general of the NRA secretariat, made the comment at a news conference in reference to troubles including the recent finding that some 100 tons of highly contaminated water had leaked from a storage tank at the plant.

"This will generate controversy over TEPCO's safety culture and its ability to cope as a business operator," he told the news conference.

At the same time, Morimoto said that the agency would strictly handle the safety screening of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant that TEPCO seeks to restart in accordance with the law -- indicating that the screening and the handling of the Fukushima plant would be treated as separate issues.

Meanwhile, Morimoto said that the agency would consult with the International Atomic Energy Agency over whether it is appropriate to grade the Fukushima disaster on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale. The NRA secretariat deemed that major leaks of contaminated water that occurred in the summer of last year would comprise a level 3 incident on the scale -- the fifth most serious level. But the Fukushima nuclear disaster as a whole is regarded as a level 7 incident -- the highest rating. This has sparked comments that the ratings lack consistency.

February 22, 2014(Mainichi Japan)