Japan Press Weekly

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2015 March 18 - 24 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Two utilities in western Japan decide to decommission two nuclear reactors

Two utilities in western Japan on March 18 decided to decommission two nuclear reactors that went into operation around 40 years ago.

The two reactors are the No.1 reactor at Chugoku Electric Power Company’s Shimane Nuclear Power Plant in Shimane Prefecture and the No.1 reactor at Kyusyu Electric Power Company’s Genkai Nuclear Power Plant in Saga Prefecture. They started operating 41 and 39 years ago respectively.

The service life of nuclear reactors was set at 40 years in principle in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear meltdown. The two power companies chose to decommission the two reactors on the grounds that the output of the two reactors is small and it is economically inefficient to invest in measures to extend their life spans.

The No.1 reactor at the Genkai NPP is called “the most dangerous reactor in Japan” because the reactor in 2009 showed vulnerability to changes in temperature and pressure. Many experts have been calling for the decommissioning of the reactor without delay.

Japanese Communist Party member of the Saga Prefectural Assembly Muto Akemi said that since before the 2011 Fukushima accident she and local residents have been warning that Genkai’s No. 1 reactor could have a serious accident at any time. She stressed that local residents want the permanent shutdown of nuclear reactors.

Ishibashi Hiroshi of a citizens’ group for a zero-nuke Shimane welcomed the utility’s decision. He pointed out that although the operation of the Shimane NPP has been suspended for nearly four years, local communities and businesses have not experienced problems regarding power shortages. He said that the utility should contribute to the creation of a nuclear-free society.