nuclear-news

Following earthquake, Japan’s nuclear reactors escaped serious problems – THIS TIME.

Japan’s nuclear power plants largely undamaged following quake

BY ERIC JOHNSTON, STAFF WRITER, Japan Times, 2 Jan 24

Japan’s nuclear power plants along the Sea of Japan coast escaped serious damage in the New Year’s Day earthquake that struck the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture.

But the 7.6 magnitude quake, which triggered tsunami warnings from Hokkaido to Kyushu and led to evacuations in nine prefectures, could once again spark public concern about the safety of nuclear power in an earthquake-prone country at a time when Prime Minister Fumio Kishida plans to ramp up its usage as part of his “green transformation” policy.

In Ishikawa Prefecture, Hokuriku Electric Power’s Shika nuclear plant saw its electricity system partially disabled following the quake, but no major abnormalities have been reported. The plant’s No. 1 and No. 2 reactors were offline prior to the quake.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) reported that Shika plant workers heard what sounded like an explosion, and then smelled something burning near a transformer that received electricity for use in the No. 2 reactor. Staff checking the area discovered the fire extinguishing system had been activated.

No fire was detected but the reactor’s electricity supply was partially disabled. Hokuriku officials believe pressure inside the transformer increased due to the tremor. This triggered a device to release the pressure, causing a loud noise and activation of the fire extinguishing system rather than an actual fire.

Electric power for equipment critical for the plant’s safety was secured through other systems, and cooling pools where spent nuclear fuel is stored continued to operate. Hokuriku Electric officials said Monday they were assessing the damage but that there was no change in the readings of the plant’s monitoring posts, and that no external radiation had been detected. However, of the 101 radiation monitoring posts in the plant’s vicinity, 13 are no longer operational. As of Tuesday, the cause was still unknown.

At Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings’ Kashiwazaki Kariwa Nuclear Power Station in Niigata Prefecture, home to seven nuclear reactors — all of which were offline before the quake — plant officials confirmed Monday that water from a spent fuel pool spilled over due to the earthquake, but that no abnormalities in operation had been detected………………………………………………..

While the nuclear power plants avoided damage, the New Year’s Day quake and tsunami warnings brought back memories of the devastating Great East Japan Earthquake and triple meltdowns at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant, and could revive doubts about the nuclear industry — especially at a time when the government has plans to use more reactors, many located on the Sea of Japan coast, that have been offline since the quake on March 11, 2011.

Last February, the Kishida Cabinet approved its green transformation policy, which would extend the lifespan of nuclear reactors beyond 60 years and replace those that get scrapped. It was a major reversal of the policies that went into place following the 2011 disaster.

Currently, 12 nuclear power plants have been officially restarted since 2011, while five have received permission to restart and are undergoing final preparations to do so. Another 10 reactors are still undergoing inspections for a possible restart. Nine reactors have not applied for restart, and 24, including 10 Tepco reactors in Fukushima Prefecture, are being decommissioned.

January 5, 2024 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Japan, safety