nuclear-news

Uncertainty about the restart of Japan’s other nuclear reactors,

Uncertain prospects loom for post-Oi reactors, Masayuki Takata / Yomiuri Shimbun 17 June 12, Now that the government has decided to reactivate the Nos. 3 and 4 reactors at the Oi nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture, attention has turned to which will be next among the nation’s other 48 idle reactors….
Which reactor will be reactivated next is expected to be left up to a new nuclear regulatory commission to be established in August at the earliest. However, there are no clear prospects for restarting more reactors because it has not been decided how the new organization will
confirm their safety.

At a press conference held Saturday after the four-minister meeting, Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yukio Edano said the Cabinet would not decide on reactivating the 48 reactors.

“The new regulatory organization will make its own decisions [regarding the safety of the reactors] independently” from the government, Edano said. It is unclear, however, to what extent the nuclear regulatory commission will take the current safety standards into consideration when making its assessments.

The current standards, compiled at the request of Fukui Gov. Issei
Nishikawa, consist of three main pillars:

— Whether an operator has implemented measures to prevent a severe
accident, such as a meltdown, even if a reactor loses all power.

— Whether the government has confirmed first-stage stress test
results for the reactor regarding whether it can avoid a severe
accident even if hit by a disaster as powerful as the Great East Japan
Earthquake and the ensuing tsunami.

— Whether the operator has submitted medium- and long-term safety
enhancements…..
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T120617002371.htm

June 20, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Japan, politics