Japan’s NRA Says Tokai No. 2 N-Plant Meets Safety Standards

July 4, 2018

Tokyo- Japanese regulators said Wednesday that the Tokai No. 2 nuclear power plant in Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, meets the country's safety standards for a restart.

The assessment by the Nuclear Regulation Authority becomes final after a public comment period.

The safety standards were introduced after the 2011 triple meltdown at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.'s <9501> Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.

The Tokai No. 2 plant, owned by Japan Atomic Power Co., has a 1.1-million-kilowatt reactor. It will become the 15th reactor in the country to pass the NRA's safety screening.

The Tokai reactor will also be the third boiling-water reactor, the same type as those at the Fukushima plant, to meet the safety criteria.

The No. 6 and No. 7 reactors at TEPCO's Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant in Niigata Prefecture, central Japan, both a boiling-water type, have already passed the screening.

The Tokai reactor will reach its operational limit of 40 years on Nov. 27. An extension requires a separate set of NRA approval, including for a detailed plan for necessary construction work.

The screening of the construction plan may not be complete in time if problems are found, NRA Chairman Toyoshi Fuketa told a news conference.

The restart of the Tokai reactor also needs approval from the host village of Tokai and nearby municipalities. A total of 960,000 people live within 30 kilometers of the plant, who are required to evacuate during a nuclear emergency.

In its screening for the Tokai reactor, the NRA pointed to the need to take safety measures, including installing flameproof electrical cables and improving ground under seawalls to prevent liquefaction.

The total cost for such construction work reached 174 billion yen.

Japan Atomic Power told the NRA that TEPCO and Tohoku Electric Power Co. will shoulder some of the costs. Japan Atomic Power, which specializes in nuclear operations, was forced to suspend electricity generation and supply after the Fukushima accident, a development that has been weighing on its finances.

TEPCO and Tohoku Electric Power, both customers and shareholders of Japan Atomic Power, have agreed on the financial support.

The NRA plans to ask the industry minister, which oversees TEPCO, if the company is financially strong enough to provide the aid to Japan Atomic Power.

This is because TEPCO needs to accomplish the costly task of decommissioning the Fukushima plant safely and steadily, NRA Deputy Chairman Satoru Tanaka said. Jiji Press