Japan: On The Way To Extinction
Channel: rumorecurioso
Date: 2014-02-14

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/  

EXPERTS SEEK MORE DATA ON FAULT UNDER REACTOR
  
Experts have urged the operator of a nuclear plant in central Japan to produce more data on a fault under one of its reactors.

 Four experts and a member of the Nuclear Regulation Authority are planning a 2-day inspection of the Shika nuclear plant in Ishikawa Prefecture this month.

 At a meeting of the authority on Friday, plant operator Hokuriku Electric repeated its assessment that the so-called S-1 fault will not move.

 Company officials acknowledged that an active fault about one kilometer east of the plant could move. But they said the plant is strong enough to withstand such movement, and that the S-1 fault would not be affected.
 Experts called for a cautious assessment of past fault movements. They also requested data that can be compared to those from the plant's construction phase.

 Under new government standards, nuclear plants with active faults beneath their reactors and other critical facilities cannot be restarted.

 The authority had judged that a fault under a reactor at another nuclear plant, the Tsuruga power station in neighboring Fukui Prefecture, could be active. The operator may have to decommission the reactor.

Feb. 14, 2014 - Updated 10:23 UTC

UTILITY GROUP CHIEF URGES GOVT. TO KEEP MONJU
 
The chief of the association of Japanese power utilities has called on the government to continue research and development for the experimental fast breeder reactor Monju.

 Federation of Electric Power Companies Chairman Makoto Yagi said on Friday that a fast breeder reactor will help Japan make good use of its limited energy resources.

 Yagi also said this type of reactor is a promising option to ensure long-term energy supply, and that Monju is important for that purpose.

 The appeal came one day after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Monju's development is not making much progress.

 Abe hinted that the government will consult the ruling coalition before drawing up a new basic energy plan.

 A fast breeder reactor can produce more fuel than it consumes. The government used to consider it the center of nuclear fuel recycling.

 But Monju has been mostly offline since a sodium leak accident in 1995.

 Yagi also touched on the forthcoming third anniversary of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that triggered the Fukushima nuclear accident.

 He said power companies will do all they can to improve the safety of nuclear power plants to win public trust and resume their operations as soon as possible.

Feb. 14, 2014 - Updated 10:23 UTC

ABE: DEVELOPMENT OF MONJU REACTOR NOT SMOOTH
 
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says the development of the prototype fast-breeder reactor, Monju, is not making smooth progress.

 Abe told the Lower House budget committee on Thursday that the government must reconsider its policy. He indicated that it will consult with the ruling parties in drafting a new basic energy plan.

 On the nuclear recycling policy, Abe said the principle of possessing no unnecessary plutonium must be firmly maintained.

 He said Japan will continue to make plutonium use more transparent. He said the country will contribute to nuclear non-proliferation efforts and promote peaceful use of atomic energy.

Feb. 13, 2014 - Updated 12:22 UTC

REGULATOR TO SURVEY FAULTS UNDER KASHIWAZAKI PLANT
 
Japan's nuclear regulator will conduct a survey at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant to find out whether dozens of fault lines beneath the facilities are active.

 The operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, has applied to restart 2 of the 7 reactors at the plant in Niigata Prefecture on the Sea of Japan.

 The utility submitted documents requesting a safety screening to the Nuclear Regulation Authority in September last year.

 The regulator has asked the firm to check if 23 fault lines running under some of the reactor buildings could cause earthquakes.

 The NRA commissioner, Kunihiko Shimazaki, and other experts will conduct an initial survey over a 2-day period beginning as early as February 17th.

 They will visit the site where an observation shaft is being drilled to a depth of 30 meters.

 The utility's business plan assumes the reactors can be restarted in stages from July, but the survey of the faults is expected to continue for several months.

Feb. 7, 2014 - Updated 02:35 UTC