No.3 and No.4 Genkai reactors pass muster

January 18, 2017

Two nuclear reactors in Saga Prefecture pass safety checks

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/01/18/national/two-nuclear-reactors-saga-prefecture-pass-safety-checks/#.WH9fS32Dmot

Kyodo, JIJI

Two nuclear reactors in Saga Prefecture passed a key state safety assessment Wednesday, but uncertainty remains over whether operator Kyushu Electric Power Co. will win local support to bring them back online amid lingering safety concerns.

The No. 3 and No. 4 units of the Genkai plant are among many reactors in limbo after the tougher safety requirements were introduced in the wake of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant disaster in 2011.

To restart the Genkai No. 3 and No. 4 units, Kyushu Electric needs approval from the Nuclear Regulation Authority for detailed designs of equipment and procedures for dealing with severe accidents. The reactors are expected to restart in April or later.

The government has been pushing for reactor restarts as nuclear power is regarded as a key energy source even after the Fukushima disaster. But the process has been slow, partly due to safety concerns.

As for the resumption of the Genkai reactors, the city of Imari, which sits within a 30-km radius of the plant, has expressed concerns over evacuation preparations.

The Fukushima disaster led the central government to expand the areas around nuclear plants that should prepare for evacuation to 30 km from 10 km.

The 30-km areas around the Kyushu Electric plant, which faces the Genkai Sea, includes municipalities in Saga Prefecture, neighboring Fukuoka and Nagasaki prefectures, and 17 islands where about 20,000 people live.

In an emergency, residents on the islands would evacuate by ship. But critics say measures for safe evacuation in bad weather must be established.

While there are more than 40 commercial reactors across the country, only two are now operating — the No. 1 reactor at Kyushu Electric’s Sendai plant in Kagoshima Prefecture and the No. 3 reactor at Shikoku Electric Power Co.’s Ikata plant in Ehime Prefecture.

The Sendai plant’s No. 2 unit is operable, but is currently undergoing regular checkups.

Two reactors at Kansai Electric Power Co.’s Takahama plant in Fukui Prefecture were also restarted last year after clearing safety hurdles. But a court injunction in connection with safety issues shut them down with no clear timeline for a restart.

Genkai plant reactors' safety measures certified

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20170118_15/

Japan's nuclear regulator has officially announced that safety measures for 2 reactors at the Genkai nuclear plant meet government requirements introduced after the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi accident.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority on Wednesday compiled an assessment approving restarts of the No.3 and 4 reactors at the plant in Saga Prefecture, western Japan. The facility is run by Kyushu Electric Power Company.

The regulator has been hearing from the public after compiling in November a draft assessment that had taken more than 3 years.

An NRA secretariat official at a meeting of the agency on Wednesday referred to strong earthquakes that took place last year in Kumamoto, near Saga Prefecture.

The official said some criticized the draft for failing to reflect the lessons of Kumamoto, but added that the government regulations require that the plant can function even during such quakes.

The official also said the operator checked the impact of the quakes and is taking necessary measures. The draft was approved on Wednesday with some of its wording revised.

The Genkai is to be the 2nd nuclear plant of Kyushu Electric to go back online, following the restarted Sendai plant. The Genkai facility is the 5th in the country whose safety measures have received NRA approval.

Detailed checks for quake resistance design and local consent are still needed. The reactors are expected to be back online this summer at the earliest.

Other issues are evacuation plans for elderly and challenged people as well as those living on 17 small islands near the plant in the event of a nuclear accident. Experts say the prefectural government and relevant municipalities must review their evacuation plans.