Kepco hoping to operate Takahama beyond the 40-year limit

December 1, 2014

Kepco inspects aging Takahama reactors for chance at 20-year extension

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/12/01/national/kepco-inspects-aging-takahama-reactors-for-chance-at-20-year-extension/#.VHyv2Ml5Cos

Kyodo

The reactors are the No. 1 and No. 2 units at the Takahama nuclear plant.

Safety requirements adopted after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis include a provision requiring operators to shut and dismantle reactors when they are 40 years old. But the nuclear regulator may grant a one-time extension of up to 20 years if utilities carry out thorough checks on their safety systems and the integrity of the containment vessel.

Seven of Japan’s 48 nuclear reactors are either 40 years old or close to it. Kepco was the first utility to declare it would try to keep old reactors in action after the Fukushima meltdowns, while the government has sought to have old units shut.

Kepco has judged that keeping the two reactors going would help to repair a balance sheet saddled with costly fossil fuel imports, despite the hefty price tag for equipment upgrades and new investment in safety.

All of the nation’s reactors remain offline pending safety checks.

Kepco, which serves Osaka and surrounding areas, will examine a range of factors such as the state of the welding of the reactor pressure vessels — which contain the nuclear fuel.

But the company will then need to apply for Nuclear Regulation Authority safety screening based on the new regulations and obtain approval before the units can come back online.

Kepco aims to have its checks complete and to ask for NRA screening as early as next spring.

Takahama’s No. 1 unit turned 40 last month and the younger No. 2 unit is due to hit the barrier in November next year.

The pro-nuclear government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has urged utilities to decide quickly on whether to scrap their aging reactors, apparently in an attempt to ease concerns over the safety of nuclear power by promoting the shutdown of old facilities and bringing newer reactors back online.

KEPCO begins special checks seeking to keep old nuclear units

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20141201p2g00m0dm048000c.html

OSAKA (Kyodo) -- Kansai Electric Power Co. on Monday launched special checks on its two aging nuclear reactors at the Takahama plant, seeking to operate them beyond the limit of 40 years despite public concerns over the safety of old nuclear facilities in Japan.

Under tighter safety requirements adopted after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis, reactors are not allowed to operate more than 40 years in principle to ensure safety. The nuclear regulator may grant a one-time extension of up to 20 years, but utilities seeking to extend the operational periods must conduct special checks that set a high hurdle to clear and require hefty costs.

Seven of Japan's 48 nuclear reactors, including the Takahama Nos. 1 and 2 units on the Sea of Japan coast in Fukui Prefecture, are around 40 years old. Kansai Electric was the first power company that announced its intention to keep old reactors in operation after the Fukushima meltdowns, while the government has sought to promote shutdowns of old facilities.

Kansai Electric has judged that keeping the two reactors would contribute to improving its earnings that have deteriorated due to a surge in fossil fuel costs in the absence of nuclear power, despite massive costs for upgrading equipment and enhancing the safety of the plant. Currently, all the reactors in Japan remain offline.

Under the special checks, which are expected to take up to four months, the utility serving Osaka and surrounding areas will scrutinize the state of reactor pressure vessels -- which contain the nuclear fuel -- and other key equipment.

But the company will then need to apply for the Nuclear Regulation Authority safety screening based on the new regulations and obtain approval to continue the units' operations, a process necessary for any reactor before being allowed to go back online.

Kansai Electric plans to finish the special checks and apply for the NRA screening as early as next spring.

The Takahama No. 1 unit became 40 years old in November, and the No. 2 unit will be 40 years old November next year.

The pro-nuclear government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has urged utilities to quickly decide on whether to scrap their aging reactors, apparently in an attempt to ease concerns over the safety of nuclear power by promoting the shutdown of old facilities and bring relatively new reactors back online.