information about Fukushima published in English in Japanese media info publiée en anglais dans la presse japonaise
12 Février 2015
February 12, 2015
Staff Writer
Two nuclear reactors in Fukui Prefecture received a safety clearance from the Nuclear Regulation Authority on Thursday, marking a major step in efforts by Kansai Electric Power Co. to commence restarts this year.
It is the second time the NRA has granted a green light to potential restarts under tough, new safety standards. It earlier cleared two reactors at the Sendai plant in Kagoshima.
Although the new regulator said the Takahama No. 3 and 4 reactors meet operational safety requirements, two prefectures nearby fear how they would be affected by an accident and are demanding a say in whether to bring the plant back to life.
Furthermore, anti-nuclear activists warn that neither Fukui nor the Kansai region have developed detailed evacuation plans in the case of an accident.
The Takahama reactors, which turn 30 years old this year, still need approval from the NRA for design upgrades. They must also complete pre-start operational checks and win approval from residents. Kepco has said it hopes to restart them later this year, possibly in November.
The NRA said its decision had been uninfluenced by public concerns, including allegations that Kepco may have underplayed the likelihood of a major earthquake in the vicinity and concerns about the reactors’ vulnerability to terrorism.
At a news conference Thursday, NRA Chairman Shunichi Tanaka said the reactors meet the new safety standards but cautioned the checks are only one element in assessing risk.
“This doesn’t mean there’s zero risk of an accident. What I’m saying is that under the new regulations and standards, the safety level sought for operation of the reactors has been satisfied,” Tanaka said.
Kepco now needs to not only address the remaining technical and engineering issues, but also placate neighboring Kyoto and Shiga prefectures with assurances about safety and evacuation steps.The Takahama plant is only a few kilometers from the Fukui-Kyoto border.
About 397,000 people live within 30 km of the plant, including almost 90,000 in Maizuru, Kyoto Prefecture, a port city with a Maritime Self-Defense Force base that would likely play a major role in any evacuation.
In addition, 52,000 people in Shiga Prefecture, home to Lake Biwa, a major source of drinking water in the region, live within 30 km of the reactors.
Kepco is in talks with Kyoto and Shiga prefectures about various forms of cooperation for a restart. But residents in both prefectures are demanding the practice of formally obtaining local cooperation on restarts should include not only the governments that host a nuclear power plant but all administrations within 30 km — the approximate exclusion zone surrounding the Fukushima No. 1 plant.
Fukui opposes expanding the definition of “local consent,” and Kepco has said only that it will formally seek permission from the Fukui governor and the town of Takahama.
Prior to the 2011 Fukushima meltdowns, the Kansai region relied on nuclear power for approximately half of its electricity needs.
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201502120057
By CHIKAKO KAWAHARA/ Staff Writer
Japan's nuclear watchdog gave the green light Feb. 12 to restart two idled reactors at a plant in Fukui Prefecture, adding impetus to government efforts to bring nuclear facilities back online.
The Nuclear Regulation Authority approved enhanced safety measures submitted by Kansai Electric Power Co. for the No. 3 and No. 4 reactors at its Takahama plant, a key hurdle for their restart.
Of the 48 commercial reactors that went offline after the Fukushima nuclear crisis unfolded in March 2011, only two other reactors--at Kyushu Electric Power Co.'s Sendai plant in Kagoshima Prefecture--have received safety clearance.
Kansai Electric will now work toward completing other procedures, such as obtaining final NRA go-ahead and the backing of local governments to restart the reactors.
The reactors at both the Takahama and Sendai plants are not expected to go back online before summer, as their operators still need to obtain approval of detailed construction plans, as well as operational and accident-response manuals.
Also, on-site operational checks that follow the final NRA approval take one to two months to complete.
Kansai Electric submitted its application to restart the No. 3 and No. 4 reactors at the Takahama facility after new safety regulations took effect in July 2013.
The NRA approved the draft permission for the plant's safety measures last December and solicited opinions from the public over 30 days. It examined 3,615 opinions and made some corrections to the draft before adopting a final version.
The nuclear watchdog also took into consideration Kansai Electric's plan to use the reactors for plutonium-thermal power generation, which uses mixed-oxide fuel comprising plutonium and uranium.
It also gave the approval on condition that the utility enhances the plant's tsunami resistance and designates part of the No. 1 and No. 2 reactor buildings as emergency headquarters in the event of a serious incident.
In satisfying the latter condition, Kansai Electric will need to resubmit safety measures for the No. 3 and No. 4 reactors if it seeks to restart the No. 1 and No. 2 reactors.
With the Abe administration pushing to bring reactors that pass the NRA's safety standards back online, Kansai Electric believes it will be able to restart the No. 3 and No. 4 reactors after obtaining consent from Fukui Prefecture and the city of Takahama, which host the plant.
Prefectural authorities will make their decision after the utility has satisfied other requirements.
However, the restart remains uncertain, as some neighboring prefectures within 30 kilometers of the plant--which are required to map out disaster-evacuation plans--have demanded a greater say in the move.
Kyoto and Shiga prefectures, parts of which are included in the zone, have negotiated with Kansai Electric to give them the right to be more involved in the decision-making process.
The NRA said it will provide explanatory briefings on its decision to approve the safety measures at the Takahama plant for local governments that ask.
http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20150212p2g00m0dm034000c.html
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Two more of Japan's idled nuclear reactors obtained safety clearance from the regulator on Thursday, giving another boost to the government's planned resumption of atomic power generation following the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi meltdowns.
With the Nuclear Regulation Authority's approval of enhanced safety measures against possible earthquake and tsunami hazards as well as other severe accidents, the Nos. 3 and 4 reactors at Kansai Electric Power Co.'s Takahama complex, located on the Sea of Japan coast in Fukui Prefecture, cleared a key hurdle toward resumption.
Although the majority of the public in Japan remains opposed to the restart, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is looking to resume operation of reactors that clear the regulator's screening based on the country's new, tighter regulations, saying it is necessary for economic growth.
Among a total of 48 commercial reactors that were gradually taken offline after the Fukushima nuclear crisis, only two other reactors, owned by Kyushu Electric Power Co., have obtained safety clearance under the new regulations so far.
"The level of safety that we require for resumption has been secured (regarding the two Takahama reactors)," Shunichi Tanaka, chairman of the regulatory body, said at a press conference.
"But this does not mean that accidents will never occur or there are no risks," Tanaka said, calling for Kansai Electric's continued efforts to enhance safety of the plant.
The units, however, are not expected to go back online before summer, as the operator still needs to complete other procedures, such as submitting a construction plan, undergoing on-site operational checks and obtaining local approval.
The restart also remains uncertain because some neighboring municipalities within a 30-kilometer radius of the plant have demanded a greater say in deciding whether to allow it, claiming they could also be greatly affected in the event of a severe accident.
A Kansai Electric spokesman said the company hopes to restart the two Takahama units by November. The company seeks to resume operations at nine of the 11 reactors it owns, the exceptions being two aging reactors.
In September, a pair of reactors at Kyushu Electric's Sendai plant in southwestern Japan became the first to meet the stricter safety requirements introduced following the Fukushima nuclear crisis, the worst since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
But the Sendai plant, seen as the closest to resumption, still remains offline as the operator is behind schedule in completing necessary procedures.
Power companies are desperate to bring their idled nuclear reactors back online amid an increase in fossil-fuel costs for thermal power generation, which has covered the output shortfall in the absence of atomic power.
Kansai Electric, which was one of the most nuclear-reliant utilities in Japan before the Fukushima accident, is expected to post a fourth straight year of losses in the current business year through March. The utility sought government permission last year for raising its electricity bills from April, after it last raised household bills in May 2013.
February 12, 2015(Mainichi Japan)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20150212_19.html
Feb. 12, 2015 - Updated 03:55 UTC+1
Japan's nuclear regulator says 2 reactors at Takahama nuclear plant in Fukui Prefecture have cleared screening for restart.
The Nuclear Regulation Authority unanimously decided on Thursday that safety measures on the No.3 and No.4 reactors meet new government requirements set after the Fukushima Daiichi disaster.
About 3,600 ordinary people gave their views on the NRA assessment via a public comment system.
Some comments said the authority underestimated the size of tremors from an earthquake. Others criticized the inadequacy of measures to deal with a severe accident or terrorist attack.
The Takahama plant in central Japan is the second to be cleared for restart, following the green light for the Sendai plant in Kagoshima Prefecture, in the southwest.
Operator Kansai Electric Power Company aims to bring the reactors back online in November, after its equipment designs are authorized and it wins the approval of local governments.
The company plans to seek the consent of Fukui Prefecture and Takahama town, which host the plant.
But some local governments demand approval from all municipalities within the plant's 30-kilometer zone. The municipalities are obliged to draw up disaster preparedness plans.
Municipalities in Fukui's neighboring prefectures of Kyoto and Shiga, which fall in that zone, are seeking a new accord with Kansai Electric.
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