nuclear-news

Japan having “just a bump on the road” to nuclear renaissance?

An Unexpected Bump on the Road to Oi Restarts By Toko Sekiguchi WSJ, June 6, 2012,  Japan’s prime minister is encountering unexpected opposition to his quest to bring two nuclear reactors back online in the next few weeks: lawmakers from his own party.

More than a third of the legislators from the ruling Democratic Party of Japan submitted to Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda a petition Tuesday urging him to exercise “greater caution” over restarting the No. 3 and 4 reactors at the Oi nuclear plant in western Japan, run by Kansai Electric Power Co.

“Most of the public are of the opinion that we should overcome this summer’s energy needs through conservation and flexibility,” the petition said, signed by 117 members of the DPJ. At issue is what to do with Japan’s fleet of 50 nuclear reactors, …. Critics — including
the popular mayor of Osaka, and the 117 DPJ petitioners — have questioned just how safe the reactors are, and how prepared utilities are should another accident happen.
http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2012/06/06/an-unexpected-bump-on-the-road-to-oi-restarts/

June 7, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | general