Japan Press Weekly

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2013 June 19 - 25 [NUCLEAR CRISIS]

New regulatory standards allow operations of 60-year-old nuclear reactors

Soon after the approval of new safety standards for nuclear power plants by the Nuclear Regulation Authority was announced on June 19, utilities expressed their intention to apply for the reactivation of idled nuclear reactors at their nuclear power plants.

Despite the fact that the cause of the Fukushima nuclear disaster has yet to be determined, the authority established the standards without addressing the concerns made by experts in discussions or taking into consideration public opinion. Such standards will hardly ensure people’s safety from the dangers of another nuclear accident.

In association with revision of the Law on the Regulation of Nuclear Source Material, Nuclear Fuel Material, and Reactors after the Fukushima accident, the newly established safety requirements call on nuclear power plant operators to improve their preparedness for earthquakes, tsunamis, and severe accidents.

Meanwhile, the requirements include a new program which enables power companies to operate nuclear reactors for up to 60 years once that they obtain permission from the NRA after 40 years of operation. The program only obliges the operators to conduct a special inspection at 40-year-old reactors and verify their safety in order to get the permission to continue their operation for another 20 years.

NRA Chairman Tanaka Shun’ichi said that the organization aimed to establish “the world’s toughest safety requirements.” The requirements, however, apparently reflect the Abe government’s policy to start up suspended nuclear units as soon as possible, as even an NRA member admitted that the priority of their discussion was the establishment of an early date for enforcing the new safety standards although they should have spent five years before determining stringent requirements.

When the new standards take effect on July 8, it is highly possible that 14 reactors at seven nuclear power plants, including Kansai Electric Power Company’s Takahama power plant, will apply for the NRA’s permission to restart operations.