energy

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Panel advises government to depend more on unsafe nuclear energy
Akahata editorial

A government Atomic Energy Commission panel has drafted an outline of a long-term government nuclear energy policy, which will be approved by the Commission soon.

The outline puts a stronger emphasis than ever on promoting the nuclear fuel cycle system to produce electricity mainly from nuclear reactors. It is a reckless plan that puts Japan's energy policy on a clearly dangerous course in the 21st century.

Nuclear fuel cycle

The nuclear fuel cycle system is a series of industrial processes in which plutonium extracted by reprocessing spent nuclear fuel is used again as fuel for reactors. Fast-breeder reactors play the major role in this. Plutonium used as fuel has far greater radioactivity than uranium. Sodium that violently reacts to water and air is used as the coolant.

Many countries have given up on the nuclear fuel cycle system due to technical difficulties, safety concerns, and enormous costs. In Japan, major accidents have occurred at the fast-breeder reactor Monju and the nuclear fuel processing facility JCO. These accidents called the alleged safety of nuclear fuel cycle into question.

Despite all this, the draft outline proposes introducing fast-breeder reactors around 2050 and calls on the government to increase its support. It also confirms that pluthermal operations using MOX (plutonium-uranium mixed oxide) fuel be promoted. This represents the Commission's clear support for the pluthermal projects, along with the government approval of Kyushu Electric Power Co.'s pluthermal project at its Genkai nuclear power plant.

Another problem with the draft outline is that it proposes to put the existing nuclear reactors into operation to an excessive degree.

In Japan, there are 53 operating nuclear power plants supplying about 30 percent of the nation's total electricity. The AEC's program outline calls for raising this rate to 40 percent or more. As a temporary measure, it calls for making the full use of existing plants by maximizing their power generation output and reducing regular inspection levels with longer intervals, so that their net operational rates will be increased. The plan aims at prolonging their life span to 60 years, far longer than the originally estimated life span of 30 years.

Most of Japan's nuclear power plants were built 20 or 30 years ago. In August 2004, a pipe burst at Kansai Electric Power Co. The Mihama nuclear power plant accident was caused by the pipe's rage. The power company extended pipes' repair cycle in order to prevent the net operational rate from dropping.

The AEC is attempting to use the existing nuclear power plants longer and reduce safety standard in total disregard of the possibilities of serious accidents.

The AEC is justifying these defects under the pretext that nuclear power plants must "greatly contribute to a stable energy supply and countermeasures against global warming."

Many serious accidents have occurred at nuclear power plants because of their reliance on technological fixes. Therefore, the public does not regard this as a stable source of energy supply. The unreliability of depending on nuclear power plants was endorsed by the critically tight energy supply in the summer of 2003 in the Tokyo Metropolitan area.

The August 2005 earthquake off Miyagi Prefecture that moved a plant above its earthquake-resistant construction level posed a doubt on its effectiveness.

Put safety first

If the commission calls for maintaining "public interests," it must give priority to safety in the running of nuclear power plants. It is unbelievable that the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, which controls these plants, belongs to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Governors of Fukushima and Niigata prefectures, both with many such plants, rightly blamed the system for lacking a guarantee of safety.

The need now is for the government to review its nuclear power policy by giving top priority to safety. To this end, the nuclear fuel recycle system must be withdrawn, existing nuclear power plants be phased out, and an inspective organization independent from the state be established.

A stable energy supply as well as measures against global warming should be ensured by means of rapidly developing renewable solar energy, not by depending on dangerous nuclear power plants any further. -- Akahata, October 1, 2005