nuclear-news

Safety concerns may shut world’s largest nuclear plant, Kashiwarazaki-Kariwa

The Kashiwarazaki-Kariwa plant may be susceptible the same type of
cataclysmic event which led to Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, as
the plant itself is situated in an active fault zone.

Japan may shutter world’s largest nuclear plant over earthquake
threat, RT.com  26 January, 2013, The world’s largest nuclear power
plant may be forced to shut down under stricter rules proposed by
Japan’s new nuclear watchdog. The measures are intended to safeguard
against future natural disasters following the 2011 tsunami.

The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in the heart of Japan is
now facing permanent closure following a move by the country’s Nuclear
Regulation Authority (NRA) to expand the definition of an active fault
– a crack in the earth’s crust.  The operators of the plant, Tokyo
Electric Power are the same company which powered the stricken
Fukishima plant.

The watchdog hopes to redefine an active fault as one that has moved
any time within the last 400,000 years, as opposed to the current
120,000 to 130,000-year limit, an official told AFP. The
reclassification would effectively shut Kashiwazaki-Kariwa down.

Two faults designated alpha and beta run under the plant’s No. 1 reactor.

TEPCO had previously maintained that neither fault line had moved for
between 120,000 and 240,000 years, though geological experts doubted
their conclusions. Prior to 2006, only faults that had moved in the
last 50,000 years were considered active.

TEPCO opted to conduct another study to date the fault lines, the
results of which will be released next
month.

“The new guidelines will be put into effect in July, and then we will
re-evaluate the safety of each of Japan’s nuclear plants,” said the
NRA official, who added that no final decisions would be taken until
the new rules were implemented……..
The Kashiwarazaki-Kariwa plant may be susceptible the same type of
cataclysmic event which led to Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, as
the plant itself is situated in an active fault zone.

The plant was damaged during the 2007 Chūetsu offshore earthquake,
which triggered a fire and radiation leaks. All seven of the plants
reactors reportedly sustained damage, and critics warn a magnitude 8.0
earthquake along nearby fault lines could spark a major disaster no
matter what safety measures are implemented.

Three of its reactors were still being repaired and were not
operational at the time of the Fukushima disaster.
http://rt.com/news/largest-nuke-plant-closure-754/

January 26, 2013 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Japan, safety