Revised safety report submitted for Sendai plant

 June 24, 2014

Utility submits safety report to restart plant

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20140624_31.html

The operator of the Sendai nuclear plant in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, has submitted a revised safety report to nuclear regulators to restart 2 reactors.

Kyushu Electric Power Company submitted an 8,600-page report to the Nuclear Regulation Authority on Tuesday that outlines safety measures for the Number 1 and 2 reactors.

The utility revised the report it submitted in April after the regulator said it lacked details on safety measures.

The regulators plan to compile a draft safety assessment by July 9th.

They are expected to complete the assessment report in August, after hearing public opinions on the draft for about a month.

Before restarting the plant, the utility will also need to obtain the approval of local municipalities, and complete inspections of equipment and other procedures.

The firm hopes to be able to restart the 2 reactors in September at the earliest.

Kyushu Electric's Managing Executive Officer Akira Nakamura said he doesn't know when the plant can be restarted, as the safety screening is continuing.

The Sendai plant is likely to be the first to resume operation under stricter safety standards.

But all Japan's commercial reactors are likely to remain idle in the summer when electricity demand peaks.

Jun. 24, 2014 - Updated 10:05 UTC

Kyushu Electric submits documents for reactor safety checks

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20140624p2g00m0dm064000c.html 

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Kyushu Electric Power Co. said Tuesday it submitted to nuclear regulators additional documents required for safety reviews of two reactors at its nuclear power plant in southwestern Japan that are considered the closest to being allowed to restart among the country's 48 offline commercial reactors.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority will draw up a draft report on the results of the safety reviews of the Nos. 1 and 2 reactors at the Sendai plant in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture, based on the documents from the utility.

The operator of the two-reactor plant originally filed in July last year for reactor safety assessments by the regulators, and this April submitted to the regulators additional documents outlining safety measures. But the regulators asked the company to resubmit the documents after some flaws were found.

All of the commercial reactors in Japan currently remain halted as the Fukushima nuclear crisis, triggered by a massive earthquake and tsunami, has made it difficult for utilities to restart reactors shut down for routine checks. They need to satisfy a set of new regulations introduced after the accident to be allowed to go back online.

The nuclear agency has given priority to proceeding with the safety checks of the reactors at the Sendai plant because the units have cleared major hurdles regarding the assessment of future earthquakes and tsunami that could affect the plant.

Kyushu Electric had sought to restart the reactors by this summer when power demand is highest. But resumption is not expected before fall given the need for the utility to obtain permission from local municipalities and to pass equipment checkups for the reactors, among other procedures.

Kyushu Electric and eight other utilities have so far applied for safety review for a total of 19 reactors.

June 24, 2014(Mainichi Japan)