information about Fukushima published in English in Japanese media info publiée en anglais dans la presse japonaise
17 Juin 2015
June 16, 2015
Kyodo
Chubu Electric Power Co. applied Tuesday for Nuclear Regulation Authority safety screening so it can restart the No. 3 reactor at its Hamaoka nuclear plant.
Located on the Pacific coast in Omaezaki, Shizuoka Prefecture, the facility is in a region that studies suggest could be devastated by a major earthquake.
Chubu Electric said it plans to take measures by September 2017 to enhance the safety of the No. 3 unit against risks from earthquakes and tsunami.
In February 2014, it applied for a safety assessment of the No. 4 unit. It and the No. 5 reactor were shut down in May 2011 after Prime Minister Naoto Kan of the Democratic Party of Japan requested that operations be suspended amid fears that a powerful earthquake predicted in the area could trigger another nuclear crisis. The Fukushima disaster was playing out at the time.
Residents in Shizuoka Prefecture expressed mixed reaction Tuesday.
“I can’t trust the safety of a nuclear plant even if it passes the screening,” said a woman in her 40s who operates a shop in Omaezaki.
A man in his 60s who owns a business in the city said the plant should not be restarted.
“Higher electricity bills are hitting my business hard, but that can’t be traded for safety,” he said.
Katsushi Hayashi, who belongs to a local citizens’ group, said the application for restart “goes against the will of the people in Shizuoka.”
However, some residents said the restart may be necessary for development of the local economy.
“It’s true that many people have jobs thanks to the Hamaoka plant, although I support phasing out nuclear power,” said a 43-year-old housewife who lives near the plant.
A man in his 30s who works at a local restaurant said, “We have no choice but to allow the restart if it would contribute to the local economy.”
At the time of the Fukushima disaster, the No. 3 unit at the five-reactor Hamaoka plant was offline for scheduled maintenance and inspections. Reactors 1 and 2 ended commercial operation in 2009.
Chubu Electric wants to resume power generation at the complex as soon as possible to reduce its reliance on expensive fossil fuel imports.
Currently all of Japan’s commercial reactors remain offline pending NRA safety reviews. Prior to the Fukushima disaster they provided nearly a third of the nation’s power.
The NRA’s current safety standards were adopted in the wake of the Fukushima disaster.
See also :
http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20150616p2g00m0dm057000c.html
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Chubu Electric Power Co. applied Tuesday for safety screening of the No. 3 reactor at its Hamaoka nuclear plant which is believed to be located at the potential epicenter of a future massive earthquake.
To resume operating, the Nuclear Regulation Authority must certify that a reactor satisfies more stringent safety standards adopted in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear plant disaster.
Chubu Electric said it plans to take measures by September 2017 to enhance the safety of the No. 3 unit against possible earthquake and tsunami hazards.
In February 2014, the utility applied for the nuclear regulator's safety assessment of the No. 4 unit at the plant on the Pacific coast in Shizuoka Prefecture.
Currently all of Japan's commercial nuclear reactors, which prior to the Fukushima disaster provided nearly a third of the electricity consumed in Japan, the world's third-largest economy, remain offline pending NRA safety reviews.
In May 2011, the No. 4 and No. 5 units at the Hamaoka station -- Chubu Electric's sole nuclear plant -- were shut down after then Prime Minister Naoto Kan of the now-opposition Democratic Party of Japan requested all operations at the plant be suspended due to concern that a powerful earthquake predicted in the area could trigger another nuclear crisis like the Fukushima triple-reactor meltdowns.
When the Fukushima disaster occurred in March 2011, the No. 3 unit at the five-reactor Hamaoka plant was offline for regular checkups. The No. 1 and No. 2 units ended commercial operation in 2009.
Chubu Electric wants to resume operating the complex as soon as possible amid increased imported fuel costs for fossil power in the absence of nuclear power.
But the outlook remains uncertain partly because Shizuoka Prefecture has been reluctant to give a green light to restarting the plant due to safety concerns.
June 16, 2015
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20150616_28.html
Jun. 16, 2015 - Updated 10:39 UTC+2
Chubu Electric Power Company has applied for screening of a second reactor at its Hamaoka nuclear plant in central Japan, to determine whether related safety measures meet new government requirements.
The plant on the Pacific coast of Shizuoka Prefecture is in an area where, scientists say, a major earthquake could occur in the near future.
Chubu Electric filed an application for the plant's No. 3 reactor with the Nuclear Regulation Authority on Tuesday. The screening is a prerequisite for restarting the reactor.
The utility last year applied for screening of the plant's No. 4 reactor, which is under the regulator's scrutiny.
The firm says that like safety measures taken for the No. 4 reactor, those for the No. 3 are based on a higher estimate of maximum acceleration during an earthquake.
The firm also built a 22-meter-high breakwater to protect the plant from tsunami after revising its estimate for tsunami height to about 21 meters.
The utility's senior official Hiromu Masuda said it's important to explain the safety measures in detail to not only the regulator but also local residents.
Following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident, Chubu Electric halted 2 reactors at Hamaoka at the request of the government.
The No. 3 reactor was offline for regular checks and remains so.
Regulatory officials are discussing the possibility of earthquakes and tsunami in the area, leading to a delayed screening for the No. 4 reactor.
Local municipalities oppose restarting the plant.
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