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Nuclear watchdog inspects Oi plant

14 Comments

The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) on Saturday inspected the No. 3 and No. 4 reactors at the Oi nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture. The two reactors are currently the only two online in Japan.

Under the authority's new guidelines, all nuclear reactors are required to undergo checks to ensure they meet stringent safety requirements.

Reactors 3 and 4 at the Oi plant, operated by Kansai Electric Power Co, were brought back online last July after they met provisional safety standards created by the NRA. The NRA has to decide by July whether to allow the reactors to stay online.

The new requirements include the installation of venting systems with radiation-screening filters, after it was found that the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was fitted with unfiltered venting systems. Plants are also required to have crisis control centers in quake-resistant buildings and the capability to secure multiple sources of power and coolant water.

The NRA will release the results of its inspection at the end of June. However, NRA inspector Toyoshi Fuketa said that he saw no serious problems, although he recommended that the Oi plant's emergency response center be bigger, TBS reported.

Anti-nuclear advocates have also sought to have the reactors at the Oi plant shut down because seismologists suspect parts of the plant sit above an active faultline, which would be against Japanese law on nuclear siting.

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14 Comments
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Since KEPCO already ordered the "expensive" MOX a few weeks ago, I think We/they all know the answer of the NRA so.. do we really need this FARCE ? Well if you do not accept the expertise of seismologists in that matter then who are you going to believe ? The plant is sitting on an active fault and it is against Japanese law on nuclear siting so why does the law always stop at the doors of those nuclear plants ? Are they above the law ? Where is Judge dredd ?

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@Zichi

Good, informative comments as usual.

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Kazuaki: "To be fair, consumption will probably rise in July or August, but the Japanese willingness to make real cuts in their power usage to dodge the necessity of a restart is one of the biggest surprises."

Yes and no. I DO know quite a few people who have stuck to the 'setsuyaku' that came big into play after 3/11 and the threats of power outages due to the shutdown of Japan's NPPs, but I know a whole lot more who returned to regular consumption levels once the summer was over and it was clear there would be no outages. I have stuck to it and still haven't used my air-conditioner since, save once or twice if I was away for a few days in summer and returned to an extremely stuffy and humid room. After about 20 minutes or so I shut it off and turned on the electric fan.

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It does not matter if they merged the nuclear safety comission, and the nuclear and industrial safety agency to create the NRA.. just because they changed the name, does not cleanse it of its mistakes.. only action can.

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Reason these Oi plants must remain shut is that since they are sitting on an active fault, even the nuclear watchdog inspectors do not know when the next big earthquake will take place.

Anti-nuclear advocates have also sought to have the reactors at the Oi plant shut down because seismologists suspect parts of the plant sit above an active faultline, which would be against Japanese law on nuclear siting.

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Is this the same NRA that disregards safety regulations, especially when it comes to comparative analysis of other national policies? The Fukushima incident was a direct result of the NRA not doing so, as in comparative analysis of Fukushima and other similar if not the same model nuclear power plants in the states.. the US has better systems in place, in comparison to Japan.

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To be fair, consumption will probably rise in July or August, but the Japanese willingness to make real cuts in their power usage to dodge the necessity of a restart is one of the biggest surprises.

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I think we know how this works already.

1) The nuclear watchdog will say the plant is built on an active fault.

2) KEPCO will deny it knew of such a thing.

3) The nuclear watchdog will talk about the dangers of the plant running and say it needs to be shut down again.

4) KEPCO will say they do not admit the report and will launch their own internal investigation.

5) Nothing will change.

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NRA inspector Toyoshi Fuketa said that he saw no serious problems, although he recommended that the Oi plant’s emergency response center be bigger, TBS reported.

? to accomodate more amakudari? kudaranai (silly) ! seems it is already approved, so better retreat price hike.

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