More research palnned on the Tsugara fault

Sunday, June 24, 2012

NISA to tighten checks on fault research beneath Tsuruga reactors

Jiji

The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency intends to enhance its monitoring of new research into an active fault under the Tsuruga nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture.

At a meeting with experts Friday, NISA officials said they will station an inspector at the Tsuruga facility on a full-time basis to monitor additional studies of the fault by the plant's operator, Japan Atomic Power Co.

The announcement followed the discovery that crush zones consisting of coarse rock fragments that could shift together with the fault lie directly beneath the Tsuruga complex.

Masaru Kobayashi, head of NISA's department for evaluating the earthquake resistance of nuclear plants, said the agency hopes to ensure the reliability and transparency of the research process by posting updates on its website provided by the inspector.

Japan Atomic Power in May started preparing for further research at the Tsuruga plant, including exploratory drilling.

NISA plans to have its experts conduct a field study and decide whether the drilling site selected is appropriate.

The agency will also have experts observe a geological survey after the drilling, and will allow the press greater access to research activities at the site.

In research conducted during past quake-proof inspections, NISA only played a minor role in the final stages of drilling and should have monitored the process more closely, Kobayashi said.