Safety screening at Sendai

 April 3, 2014

No problem found with Sendai nuclear plant

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20140403_44.html

A commissioner of Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority, or NRA, says that the Sendai nuclear plant in Kagoshima Prefecture has no major problems with its anti-disaster measures.

The plant is likely to be the first to clear government safety screening procedures and resume operation.

NRA Commissioner Kunihiko Shimazaki and his team inspected the Kyushu Electric Power Company plant on Thursday. They studied how prepared the facility is for earthquakes and tsunamis.

The team members inspected seismic faults running beneath the facility. They observed the construction of barriers designed to protect a seawater intake facility in the event of a tsunami.

Shimazaki said the team found no problems, and will not change an earlier assessment of the plant.

The nuclear regulator announced last month that it will prioritize the safety screening process for the two reactors at the Sendai plant. Government guidelines state that idle reactors must undergo that process before they can restart.

All of Japan's nuclear plants are now offline. Ten of them are undergoing the screening.

The local community must also give consent before the plant can come back online.

Apr. 3, 2014 - Updated 12:23 UTC

On-site survey begins at Sendai nuclear plant

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20140403_28.html

Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority is conducting an on-site inspection of Kyushu Electric Power Company's Sendai nuclear power plant in the southwestern prefecture of Kagoshima.

NRA Commissioner Kunihiko Shimazaki and 14 staff members visited the complex on Thursday. The inspection is aimed at confirming the plant's preparedness for possible earthquakes and tsunami.

The Sendai plant is projected to be the first to clear government safety screening procedures and resume commercial operation. Currently 10 nuclear plants are undergoing the screening.

The new safety standards were set in the wake of the 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

They require nuclear plant operators to conduct stricter assessments of the maximum level of earthquakes and tsunami that could hit their facilities.

In the morning, the inspectors observed seismic faults running beneath the facility. They also checked the seawater intake to confirm whether enough water can be secured to cool nuclear fuel even if the sea level becomes lower after a tsunami.

The NRA will compile a report on the outcome of the screening and ask for technical opinions from a wide range of sources.

But it remains uncertain when the plant can be actually restarted as the utility has to clear further NRA safety inspections of the nuclear power plant and win consent from local communities.

Apr. 3, 2014 - Updated 07:21 UTC