NRA will survey faults at Kashiwazaki

 February 7, 2014

Regulator to survey faults under Kashiwazaki plant

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20140207_12.html 

Japan's nuclear regulator will conduct a survey at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant to find out whether dozens of fault lines beneath the facilities are active.

The operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, has applied to restart 2 of the 7 reactors at the plant in Niigata Prefecture on the Sea of Japan.

The utility submitted documents requesting a safety screening to the Nuclear Regulation Authority in September last year.

The regulator has asked the firm to check if 23 fault lines running under some of the reactor buildings could cause earthquakes.

The NRA commissioner, Kunihiko Shimazaki, and other experts will conduct an initial survey over a 2-day period beginning as early as February 17th.

They will visit the site where an observation shaft is being drilled to a depth of 30 meters.

The utility's business plan assumes the reactors can be restarted in stages from July, but the survey of the faults is expected to continue for several months.

Feb. 7, 2014 - Updated 02:35 UTC