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6 utilities include plans to restart 20 reactors in applications for rate hikes

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The regulator has also said its standards will be the toughest in the world.

Does this include not building on fault lines, earthquake prone zones, tsunami areas and any other kind of natural disaster that has occurred in the last 1,000 years?

6 ( +8 / -2 )

And if they are going to restart the reactors why is it then necessary to jack up the rates?

If they are keeping them off it's a bit easier to swallow because of Abe-nut-ics the yen rate has caused imports to rise dramatically and these utilities use imported oil to fuel their current plants.

They just want to make more cash and the government is happy to give it to them...arseholes!

5 ( +6 / -1 )

zichi's pretty fair and balanced, IMHO. This place is much better for having him around. He remembers the facts when, frighteningly, the collective memory fades.

So while six utilities apply for rate hikes, casually slipping in their intentions to restart some reactors, we need to keep the light shining on what is going on. Otherwise stuff gets rammed through as if 3/11 never happened. Back to the state of pre-3/11? Things were easier for the power companies then. How much have they learned? These guys still need constant monitoring.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Getting the reactors S A F E L Y back online will help to reduce Japan's trade deficit while the yen is weak, if they can absolutely guarantee the restarted reactors will be safe then ok but until then no way.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

@ LFRAgain - I cant speak for other posters, but Zichi has been a great source of info and useful links all through this man-made crisis. He is not simply fabricating information like Japanese power companies have been allowed to do for decades. I genuinely thank Zichi.

As for the energy price hikes, the Abe regime will be all for them - they will help achieve the holy grail of inflation.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

But, the Oi plant was proven to be on active fault line just last month. Now they are saying they can restart it? Who runs this show?

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Have these guys been to Fukushima or the earthquake memorial in Awajishima, where one can see the display of the ground literally having moved 1 meter upwards? And a straight road that became a loop.

There is a huge chance it will happen again, yet they want to turn on the reactors again. I don't want to know what happens if the earth will move 1 meter up right below a reactor.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Getting the reactors S A F E L Y back online will help to reduce Japan's trade deficit while the yen is weak,

Yen is weak? Hardly, a near 20% rise to where it is trading and at 100 to $1.00 it is neither weak nor strong.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

These Chubu Electric guys pop up again wagging their tails hoping to fire Hamaoka up again. Do they really believe their sea wall in the dunes can stand up to whatever the sea can throw at it? Madness.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

So let me get this straight... they're going to jack up the prices AND restart the nukes? So when they restart the nukes, will they therefore lower the prices again? I mean, since their main justification for increasing rates is that they've had to rely on fossil fuels with the nukes turned off. My guess is, no. This is just more of the typical Japan Inc.; help the corporations and screw the little people.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

The regulator has also said its standards will be the toughest in the world.

This doesn't seem to be true. Regarding structural earthquake resistance it seems there is no change to the previous standards, which were completely insufficient. In other countries, NPPs must have some margin with regard to the worst expected earthquake in the region while Japan's standards don't even have sufficient resistance for a typical earthquake which happens every year somewhere in Japan. Tanaka has recognized this shortcoming, but obviously nothing has happend.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Since the closures of all of the nuclear plants, Japanese have not had any problems with electric use or availability of electricity. Why do they need to restart any nuclear plants? It's all about the money. The Japanese people DO NOT need any nuclear power plants to restart. They are much better off without it.

When all the plants closed a few years ago, the Japanese people were told that there would not be electricity available so everyone conserved energy. Little by little they started to use more electricity without any issues. The electric companies and the government lied to the people about the availability of power. They is NO SHORTAGE of electricity.

DO NOT RESTART ANY NUCLEAR PLANTS. They DON'T need to. AND, the only reason your electric bills are high are because someone has to continue paying TEPCO'S disaster...

1 ( +2 / -1 )

From stupid in Fukushima to stupider in the whole of this island nation?? Sure, let us turn on all of these nukes back on line, and wait for this ticking time bomb called building over EARTHQUAKE faults, yes all we need! No more Fukushimas???

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Reality vs full pockets what a choice these people face. My heart breaks about the gravy that they might spill.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

If only the people would learn to live less luxuriously, consume less..all of this would not have necessitated. YOu cannot blame these people wanting to turn on the reactors while you miss the shines of Ginza and Shinjuku at nights, while you want to enjoy every electronics you can imagine.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

DO NOT RESTART ANY NUCLEAR PLANTS. They DON'T need to. AND, the only reason your electric bills are high are because someone has to continue paying TEPCO'S disaster...

No our electric bills are higher because of the need to import oil and the lower yen rate. The TEPCO disaster is being paid for by a separate tax and while it may be the cause overall it is not the reason for higher rates now.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Yubaru

Getting the reactors S A F E L Y back online will help to reduce Japan's trade deficit while the yen is weak,

Yen is weak? Hardly, a near 20% rise to where it is trading and at 100 to $1.00 it is neither weak nor strong.

The yen is weaker than this time last year but not as week as it was prior to 2008, I would dearly love to see the yen hit 100 or even 120 like it was prior to the economic global melt down, Jpan would need nuclear power to be able to lessen the cost of importing fuel at that rate though.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

This electric companies are nothing but Chinese and north Korean agents, building nuclear weapon in side the Japan against Japanese people.

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

While there is no doubt that Zichi has done a considerable amount of reading on the subject of Japan's nuclear energy program, since 3/11, he has indeed presented himself as an expert on virtually every facet of it, alternative energies, and for all intents and purposes, anything and everything even remotely related to 3/11, from earthquakes to tsunami to geology.

It also shouldn't be lost on anyone willing to see it that he's been at the forefront of a nigh hysterical anti-nuclear crusade for the better part of two years since the disaster -- not just against Japan's nuclear program, but any nuclear program. It's this sort of fevered bias that makes the vast majority of his posts on the subject almost impossible to read for sheer conceit contained within them.

-6 ( +0 / -6 )

I only count about 15 reactors which could be restarted...

Because you're the expert Japan should be listening to. (rolls eyes)

Zichi, do you ever stop to actually listen to yourself sometimes?

-7 ( +5 / -12 )

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