Oi mayor gives OK to restart 2 nuclear reactors

Go nuclear! Just make sure you're doing it transparently, securely and by the book.

I'm still curious about those trucks with mobile backup generators... is it realy safe or they are lying to us.. i just don't believe the assurances until all the necessary information is made available to the public...

Until 'greener' alternative power systems are ready to go restarting the plants is the only thing they can do.

If it only takes three weeks to restart, they have already been idling the plant with all fuel intact. If they actually can get it up that fast (usually takes longer for a reactor of that size to get to commercial generation), they may avert deaths due to hot weather.

As long as they offer a redundant read only system for regulators to check (or site access and presence ), there will be no issues at all. I'm actually worried more about sabotage by radical groups rather than natural disasters or normal operations issues.

Good News for Japan's economy. the German and Swiss people already regret their decissions to exit from nuclear energy.

About time too.

Go nuclear! Just make sure you're doing it transparently, securely and by the book.

well said...

There are those who are able to learn from the past and grow; and then there are those who are stubborn, unable to learn from past experiences and need to experience suffering yet again to learn and grow. Government officials of Japan are in the latter and not the former category, and that is why I firmly believe the J-government is seriously crippling this wonderful nation.

zichi, I stand corrected on the timeframe. They are indeed PWR designs, so they reach stability much quicker than BWR. While it is 3GW, that allows surrounding companies much more flexibility, since 3GW generated is 3GW they don't need to borrow from the already taxed surrounding companies.

Let's see how people will be less critical of nuclear when their homes are not boiling while Tokyo sees catastrophe even with lower temperatures.

zichi, today was hot, but not real summer heat yet by quite a way. There are still cool breezes around.

We'll get to see how hot this summer will be after the rains have lifted in a few weeks.

Zichi,

These reactors are PWR and Fukushima BWR so I think the design is safer.

I think that is the general opinion, yes. The risk of an accident is smaller due to inherent stability of the design and the passive SCRAM.

However it should also be said that the higher operating pressure can lead to more serious consequences in a "loss of coolant" (like Fukushima) type event.

Basically , all reactor designs has advantages and disadvantages. That being said, if they are so hell bent on restarting something. I rather it'd be a modern PWR.

Neither design will withstand a Twin Tower type attack.

People seems to easy to rollover with these restarts, I think the government should move into the temp housing until that problem is also fixed.

There are those who are able to learn from the past and grow; and then there are those who are stubborn, unable to learn from past experiences and need to experience suffering yet again to learn and grow. Government officials of Japan are in the latter and not the former category, and that is why I firmly believe the J-government is seriously crippling this wonderful nation.

We're now using coal, LNG other fossil fuels to make up the shortfall. Solutions which are known to cause health problems resulting in death. 16,000 Americans a year die because of coal fired power station (source US Lung Association) ALL of the recent information on the Fukushima side of the disaster is positive. MIT radiation causes less cancer than expected, Wade Allison (Oxford) Radiation fear has been grossly exaggerated by the fear of a nuclear war, Nature magazine reporting that 'few people will die of cancer' from Fukushima highlighting that 167 workers were exposed to radiation at levels where there is an acknowledged slight increase in cancer risk.. The Yomiuri reporting that 99.3% of Fukushima residents were exposed to less than 10mSv, the vast majority were exposed to below 10mSv so therefore well within the accepted limits.

Whichever way you look at it, and it's remarkable/disturbing that Japan Today hasn't bothered to report ANY of these findings, the situation in Fukushima isn't as bad as has been portrayed and as such the reasons to re-start nuclear power in the country far outweigh the reasons to keep them turned off.

zichiJun. 14, 2012 - 04:01PM JST

We can say these reactors are safer post 3/11 than prior to it. KEPCO have stated they can now pump seawater into the reactors in an extreme nuclear event. The power trucks surprised me, because that must mean there were no emergency generators before?

Perhaps the power trucks are now equipped to interface with the power plant systems - if I recall correctly the trucks at Daiichi couldn't physically connect to the systems there.

SquidBert Jun. 14, 2012 - 04:44PM JST

Neither design will withstand a Twin Tower type attack.

First off, the twin towers were easier targets. Secondly, air defense responses are more solid post 9/11. Third, any good studies on aircraft impacts on NPPs?

Back on topic please. 9/11-type attacks are not relevant to this discussion.

Oi Mayor Shinobu Tokioka said he approved the plan because he is concerned about possible power shortages and the impact on the local economy of keeping the plant closed.

No. The first concern should be safety and security of the people and it is evident the people are not satisfied with the safety levels despite your assurances.

Noda said the government has taken ample measures to ensure the two reactors in Fukui Prefecture would not leak radiation if an earthquake or tsunami as severe as last year’s should strike them.

No. This is not enough Noda. You should sign a social and ethics contract with the people such that in case of further accidents or leakages, you and the governer are locked up!

Whether they are safe or not is really just a secondary consideration.

The most important thing is that everyone who counts has now voted yes, so whatever the result, even dire destruction, it will be everyone's responsibility all round, a shared responsibility, where no-one in particular will actually have to take any heavy proportion of blame.

I say forego all nuclear power and learn to live with less electricity for a while. The people of Fukushima probably agree with that.

Another great move by the Governor of Fukui prefecture. He is giving the go ahead to blow up Japan and radiate the entire country. With all that has taken place in Fukushima, these idiots seemed to not have learned anything at all. These politicians are paid terrorists that everyone seems to be o.k. with. What is the difference between Bin laden and these idiots thats running Japan!! They are all one in the same!! I bet the Mayor and the Governor of Fukui prefecture is getting paid off along with Noda as the kingpin behind it all. They have no concern about anything or anyone but only themselves!! They are all idiots that can never be trusted!!!

I'll still be here to say "I told you so" when the next government says, "We had no way of knowing". That, or perhaps a little quicker -- say, the next election. Either way, I hope the people don't forget.

Minus 4 yet no-one is able to counter all of that evidence. It's almost as if you're all disappointed with the news and you want it to be catastrophic disasters. Then you could really criticise The Japanese government etc.

Minus 4 yet no-one is able to counter all of that evidence. It's almost as if you're all disappointed with the news and you want it to be catastrophic disasters. Then you could really criticise The Japanese government etc.

Thanks for saying what I was thinking. I sometimes have the feeling some people here have their "I told you so!" banners already printed up and are praying for an accident to prove their point.

@zichi - the steam pipe exploding was because the utility did not bother measuring the actual wear and tear on one of the reactors and instead, to save costs of shutting down the plant, they looked at a similar reactor (type and age) which they had recently measured, and decided that the data could be extrapolated from one to the other reactor. That is the abysmal quality of KEPCO, NISA, and Japanese atomic engineering and management!

6 workers paid for it with their lives, boiled alive under high pressure steam.

Personally speaking I really do not want to see another nuclear accident, ever, but particularly after last year's shockingly large earthquake and tsunami I wish Japan would spend time and thought on developing those natural resources with which she is blessed and working on interesting new technologies to help people's daily lives.

I believe Japan needs power and energy and economic activity. Does it have to be nuclear? The world is giving Japan a break on carbon emissions because of the disaster. I pray that she will take this GOLDEN opportunity to consider a long-term plan that does not involve stretching the lifetime of old reactors from 30 to 40, or from 40 to 50 years. I hope she does not fall comfortably back into the old practices, but wakes up and breaks new ground in new directions. Go Japan!!!

And yet all the street lights where I live (Kansai) still come on about 90 minutes before it is dusk. Power shortage indeed.

I fear that many humans have lost (common sense),we would all benefit if we simply listen to (nature) itself!. (Not if, but when) we get another large earthquake, we will remember that (our health )and the space we live in, Is far more important. Please change this self destructive path, thank you!.

Dangerous and not clean energy. Be careful!

I don't have a banner waiting and ready for when the "I told you so" is coming, but it WILL happen again, be it in Japan or overseas, and while I do not wish nor would I EVER wish for that to be so, it's still a fact. The reactors about to be restarted are on fault lines, one thought to be quite major. We clearly have never learned from the past, and are as such bound to repeat it. We got VERY lucky that the people on the ground in Fukushima did not bail and run like Shimizu wanted them to (and then actually did by day three), because had they left Tokyo might now be a wasteland. I don't want to wait until a massive city IS a wasteland for these morons to grow some sense.

Once these 2 are restarted the others can start coming back online. I do agree that some other power source is needed but it is not available yet. Doing nothing would risk that Tokyo would suffer Beijing type air pollution.

Get these two started, continue remodeling others to avoid the sequence of events that occurred at Daichi, and continue expanding the efforts to establish renewable power stations. That's about the best that can be hoped for right now.

I'm reading the building that would be used as the emergency off site control center in the event of a disaster isn't earthquake proof?

No. It’s not earthquake proof. In the timetable, they plan to set up earthquake-proof accident management facilities by 2015.

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20120409p2g00m0dm068000c.html

NISA said in case of emergency, they are going to use the central control room as an accident management facility.

Can Japan and the US also import power from France to make up the difference? Like Germany does. That would be France the country that relies almost exclusively on nuclear for it's power...

So what did people do before air-conditioning?

There was such a time in our history right?

Lost in the mists of time. Most people cannot remember, yasukuni. Air-conditioning gives instant memory loss.

A 3 hour tour..and we can all fell the clarity.

It seems that the reason as to why the Oi plant and was turned off is 'off topic'. What a balanced news site this is.

Mmmm clarity, wonder if my food is save, can I dance in the rain. Maybe in 3-5 years I will feel a little bit more comfortable.

I thought the government is breaking the law, but they are not?!?!?!?

NSC chairman said the first-stage “stress tests” at nuclear reactors were insufficient to determine their overall safety. The safety of NPPs has to be determined by the Nuclear Safety Commission, not by the government.

Atomic Energy Basic Act, Chapter II Article 5: The Nuclear Safety Commission shall plan, deliberate on and determine the matters related to ensuring safety among the matters related to the research, development and utilization of nuclear energy.

http://www.nsc.go.jp/NSCenglish/documents/laws/1.pdf

The government said they are not breaking the law because the safety standards that they made are only “provisional” not “final”. ????(@o@)???

@Heda_Madness I agree.

Heda_Madness

It seems that your latest comment was clipped again, which is a total shame. I am happy I read it before it was clipped. You are absolutely right.

I do not like to repeat myself but many media continue to present the facts etc. only one-sidedly which, eventually, is a great means of manipulating public opinion.

I think people on both sides of this discussion feel the moderator is biased in favor of the opposite side.

I wonder if this might actually mean that the moderator is rather unbiased, and just removes stuff that goes a bit too far?

Remember, Duck and Cover - Duck and Cover.

Ooops sorry, that was the wrong kind of nuke.

I meant, run inside and tape your vents shut. :D

Noda and the Oi reactors remind me of Lex Luther and Kryptonite. They sure look good.

So what did people do before air-conditioning?

Suffered and swealtered. Why should people be forced to suffer in the 21st century?

Suffered and swealtered. Why should people be forced to suffer in the 21st century?

There ain't no such thing as a free lunch... Somebody else has suffered for your electricity.

Street lights were on at 5 p.m. this evening here in Akashi City. Dark around 7 or 7:30 even though it was cloudy. Must be a tremendous power shortage! Somebody needs a kick in the head.