Japan's nuclear regulatory body has officially decided that a nuclear power plant reactor in Fukui Prefecture, central Japan, failed a safety review for its restart.
The rejection of restart plans for the No.2 reactor at the Tsuruga nuclear power plant marks the nuclear watchdog's first such denial since its 2012 founding.
The Nuclear Regulation Authority had been considering the application by the Japan Atomic Power Company to put the reactor back online since 2015.
In August this year, the authority concluded that the reactor is not safe enough for a restart, because the possibility of a fault beneath the reactor building shifting in the future cannot be ruled out. Officials at the NRA had agreed on a draft document to that effect.
On Wednesday, the regulatory body deliberated comments from the public on the draft paper.
The regulator received 282 such responses. Several said the reactor should not be regarded as failure just because the possibility of a fault shift cannot be ruled out.
Members of the regulatory body defended their August conclusion. They said that the plant operator lacked sufficient grounds to claim that the fault would not move.
The decision had unanimous support at the regulator.
Japan Atomic Power Company intends to reapply for a safety review. But the authority says the application must meet all criteria, not only those related to the seismic fault.
The rejection of restart plans for the No.2 reactor at the Tsuruga nuclear power plant marks the nuclear watchdog's first such denial since its 2012 founding.
The Nuclear Regulation Authority had been considering the application by the Japan Atomic Power Company to put the reactor back online since 2015.
In August this year, the authority concluded that the reactor is not safe enough for a restart, because the possibility of a fault beneath the reactor building shifting in the future cannot be ruled out. Officials at the NRA had agreed on a draft document to that effect.
On Wednesday, the regulatory body deliberated comments from the public on the draft paper.
The regulator received 282 such responses. Several said the reactor should not be regarded as failure just because the possibility of a fault shift cannot be ruled out.
Members of the regulatory body defended their August conclusion. They said that the plant operator lacked sufficient grounds to claim that the fault would not move.
The decision had unanimous support at the regulator.
Japan Atomic Power Company intends to reapply for a safety review. But the authority says the application must meet all criteria, not only those related to the seismic fault.
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Summary
Nuclear Regulation Authority in Japan denies restart of Tsuruga nuclear power plant's No.2 reactor due to seismic safety concerns. This is the watchdog's first such denial since its establishment in 2012. The decision, reached in August, was based on the possibility of a fault beneath the reactor
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ID: 2e78211f-391d-4634-94c2-13bf75e3f12f
Category ID: nhk
URL: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20241113_16/
Date: Nov. 13, 2024
Created: 2024/11/14 07:00
Updated: 2025/12/08 08:54
Last Read: 2024/11/14 07:19