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information about Fukushima published in English in Japanese media info publiée en anglais dans la presse japonaise

OK to restart Sendai

October 29, 2014

Local government gives OK to restart Sendai nuclear plant in Kagoshima Prefecture

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/10/29/national/local-government-gives-ok-restart-sendai-nuclear-power-plant-kagoshima-prefecture/

Reuters, Kyodo

The municipal assembly in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture, voted Tuesday to approve the restart of the local nuclear power station, another step forward in the fraught process of reviving an industry left idled by the 2011 Fukushima catastrophe.

The city of 100,000 that hosts the two-reactor Sendai plant operated by Kyushu Electric Power Co. has long relied on the facility for government subsidies and jobs.

In September, the plant became the first nuclear facility to meet beefed-up post-Fukushima safetyrequirements.

Nineteen of the 26 assembly members voted in favor of restarting the plant, while four members voted against and three abstained, an assembly member said.

Mayor Hideo Iwakiri also gave the green light, paving the way for the plant to be rebooted as early as the beginning of next year once Kyushu Electric finishes the necessary paperwork and on-site operational checks.

While expressing approval, the mayor said at a news conference that the central government should ultimately be held responsible for any accidents that occur at the plant.

He also stressed that Japan should make more efforts to develop new energy sources and reduce nuclear dependence.

Other municipalities around the complex have said that bringing the plant back online without their consent is unacceptable because many of their residents still have safety concerns.

But Kagoshima Gov. Yuichiro Ito has tamped down these concerns, saying that obtaining approval from the surrounding municipalities is not a legally required process since they do not host the plant.

In Ichikikushikino, a city less than 5 km from the Sendai plant, more than half of its 30,000 residents signed a petition opposing the restart earlier this year.

In the lead-up to the vote in Satsumasendai, officials held town hall meetings in neighboring towns to explain the restart. Some residents complained that the public meetings were restrictive and did not address concerns about evacuation plans.

The vote came as a fire broke out Tuesday at Kyushu Electric’s other nuclear plant, the Genkai facility in Saga Prefecture. The blaze started in an auxiliary building of the idled power station and was extinguished by plant workers, local officials said. There were no injuries and no release of radioactive materials, they said.

All 48 of the country’s nuclear reactors were gradually taken offline following the Fukushima disaster.

Japan has been forced to import expensive fossil fuels to replace atomic power, which previously supplied around 30 percent of the country’s electricity.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government is pushing to restart the nation’s reactors, but he has said he will defer to local authorities to approve a policy that is still unpopular with large swaths of the public.

October 28, 2014

City assembly set to approve Sendai plant restart

Nuclear & Energy

Oct. 28, 2014 - Updated 23:35 UTC+1

A city assembly in southern Japan is set to approve the restart of a nuclear power plant in its municipality.

Satsuma Sendai city convened an extraordinary session on Tuesday to discuss the resumption of operations at the facility.

Last month, the Sendai plant became the first across Japan to pass new government regulations introduced after the 2011 Fukushima accident.

The assembly members are expected to vote on 10 petitions opposing the move and one in favor of it.

The majority of the assembly supports the restart. It is likely to adopt the petition calling for the plant to go back online.
Mayor Hideo Iwakiri is expected to express his view and also agree to the restart.

Plant operator Kyushu Electric Power Company is also hoping to obtain approval from the Kagoshima prefectural assembly and Governor Yuichiro Ito.

Satsuma Sendai okays nuclear plant restart

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20141028_27.html

Oct. 28, 2014 - Updated 07:47 UTC+1

Satsuma Sendai city in southern Japan has approved the restart of a nuclear power plant in its municipality.

The city assembly convened an extraordinary session on Tuesday, to discuss a petition requesting the restart of the facility.

One member said residents will remain opposed unless safety can be guaranteed.

The member said economic activity in the city declined after the plant was shut down, and must be restored.

The petition was adopted with the support of 19 legislators, while 4 voted against.

Following the assembly's decision, Mayor Hideo Iwakiri also expressed his approval to restart the plant. He said he understands the government policy based on its basic energy plan.

Iwakiri said it is a difficult decision when he thinks of the citizens who are cautious about the restart. But said he will do everything he can to ensure public safety.

Last month the Sendai plant became the first in Japan to pass new government regulations introduced following the 2011 Fukushima accident. Since then attention has been focused on the city's attitude toward a possible reactor restart.

Plant operator Kyushu Electric Power Company will next try to obtain approval from the Kagoshima prefectural assembly and Governor Yuichiro Ito.

Local city assembly OKs restart of nuclear plant

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20141028p2g00m0dm064000c.html

KAGOSHIMA, Japan (Kyodo) -- A local city assembly on Tuesday approved restarting a nuclear plant located in the southwestern Japan city, a step toward the first resumption of a nuclear facility in the country since new regulations were adopted following the Fukushima meltdowns.

The city assembly of Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture, adopted a petition in favor of restarting the two-reactor Sendai plant, which became the first nuclear facility in September to meet the stricter post-Fukushima safety requirements.

Satsumasendai Mayor Hideo Iwakiri also gave the green light, paving the way for the plant to go back online as early as the beginning of next year once its operator Kyushu Electric Power Co. finishes the necessary paperwork and on-site operational checks.

However, other municipalities around the Sendai complex have said it is not acceptable to bring the plant back online without their consent, citing safety concerns among locals.

Kagoshima Gov. Yuichiro Ito, however, has said it is not necessary to obtain approval from the municipalities that do not host the plant given it is not a legally required process.

All of Japan's 48 commercial reactors currently remain offline and need to pass the Nuclear Regulation Authority's safety screening to resume operations.

See also :

Local government gives OK to restart Sendai nuclear power plant in Kagoshima Prefecture

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/10/28/national/local-government-gives-ok-restart-sendai-nuclear-power-plant-kagoshima-prefecture/#.VE9tFxZ5B1s

Reuters, Kyodo

A town in Kagoshima Prefecture on Tuesday approved the restart of a nuclear power station, another step forward in Japan’s fraught process of reviving an industry left idled by the 2011 Fukushima atomic catastrophe.

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