Stress tests every five years obligatory

August 27, 2013

Regulator orders mandatory nuclear safety checks

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20130827_16.html

Japan's nuclear regulator will make it mandatory for plant operators to regularly test their facilities for resistance against earthquakes and tsunami.

The move means utilities will be legally obliged to carry out so-called stress tests on plants and fuel facilities using computer analysis every 5 years. The Nuclear Regulation Authority agreed on the measure on Monday.

The operators will also be required to calculate the probability of severe accidents, like the one at Fukushima Daiichi.

After Fukushima, the government ordered idled nuclear plants to undergo stress tests before they could go back online. The latest move for the first time legalizes those tests for both operating and idled plants.

The regulator plans to introduce the new measures by December after listening to public opinion.