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Aging, deteriorating nuclear reactors in Japan to seek extensions

Extensions for aging reactors loom, Japan Times, By YURIY HUMBER and MASATSUGU HORIE. Bloomberg 30 Aug 11,  More than a third of Japan’s nuclear reactors will have to apply for license extensions within five years or face decommissioning at a time when the industry’s safety record is in tatters.

The country’s 54 reactors were originally licensed for 30 years and operators can apply for 10-year extensions up to a maximum of six times. Twenty-one reactors will soon require license extensions, according to data from power companies and the World Nuclear Association. Of those, seven will enter their fifth decade if extensions are granted — which should be avoided, according to a metallurgy professor.

“Nuclear reactors shouldn’t be in operation for more than 40 years,” said Hiromitsu Ino at the University of Tokyo. “You can renew electrical wiring and other parts but you can’t do anything with their pressure vessels. They just get old and deteriorate, increasing the risk of accidents….http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110830n1.html

August 30, 2011 - Posted by | Japan, safety

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