Latest news with #NuclearRegulationAuthority
Japan Today
11-06-2025
- Business
- Japan Today
TEPCO tweaks plan to restart reactors at Niigata nuclear plant
Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc, whose nuclear reactors have remained offline since the 2011 Fukushima disaster, plans to revise its strategy for restarting reactors in central Japan, sources familiar with the matter said. TEPCO is now preparing to restart the No. 6 unit of its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa complex in Niigata Prefecture, one of the world's largest nuclear power plants by output capacity, aiming to finish preparations in August, they said. The company had previously planned to restart the No. 7 reactor even though the unit will have to be halted in October to implement anti-terrorism safety measures. TEPCO expected the No. 7 reactor's operation would help meet an expected rise in power demand during summer. The change in plans comes as the company's prospects for gaining local consent to resume operation of the plant on the Sea of Japan coast remain uncertain, according to the sources. Niigata Gov Hideyo Hanazumi has yet to consent to the plant's operation, pending a series of public hearings on the matter this summer. TEPCO began loading nuclear fuel into the No. 6 reactor on Tuesday, the sources said. Taking steps to protect nuclear plants from terrorist attacks became mandatory under the stricter safety standards implemented by the Nuclear Regulation Authority after the nuclear disaster at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi plant triggered by a massive earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. TEPCO aims to complete anti-terrorism measures for the No. 7 unit by August 2029. As for the No. 6 reactor, TEPCO has until September 2029 to implement these measures, and it can continue operating until that time, pending local approval. The utility and the government had planned to have at least one unit in operation at the complex from summer to meet rising electricity demand and lower dependence on fossil fuel power generation. The Nuclear Regulation Authority imposed a de facto ban on the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant in 2021 after it was found to be vulnerable to unauthorized entry at multiple locations, but the authority lifted the ban after security measures were improved. © KYODO
The Mainichi
11-06-2025
- Business
- The Mainichi
TEPCO tweaks plan to restart reactors at central Japan nuclear plant
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc., whose nuclear reactors have remained offline since the 2011 Fukushima disaster, plans to revise its strategy for restarting reactors in central Japan, sources familiar with the matter said Tuesday. TEPCO is now preparing to restart the No. 6 unit of its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa complex in Niigata Prefecture, one of the world's largest nuclear power plants by output capacity, aiming to finish preparations in August, they said. The company had previously planned to restart the No. 7 reactor even though the unit will have to be halted in October to implement anti-terrorism safety measures. TEPCO expected the No. 7 reactor's operation would help meet an expected rise in power demand during summer. The change in plans comes as the company's prospects for gaining local consent to resume operation of the plant on the Sea of Japan coast remain uncertain, according to the sources. Niigata Gov. Hideyo Hanazumi has yet to consent to the plant's operation, pending a series of public hearings on the matter this summer. TEPCO began loading nuclear fuel into the No. 6 reactor on Tuesday, the sources said. Taking steps to protect nuclear plants from terrorist attacks became mandatory under the stricter safety standards implemented by the Nuclear Regulation Authority after the nuclear disaster at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi plant triggered by a massive earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. TEPCO aims to complete anti-terrorism measures for the No. 7 unit by August 2029. As for the No. 6 reactor, TEPCO has until September 2029 to implement these measures, and it can continue operating until that time, pending local approval. The utility and the government had planned to have at least one unit in operation at the complex from summer to meet rising electricity demand and lower dependence on fossil fuel power generation. The Nuclear Regulation Authority imposed a de facto ban on the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant in 2021 after it was found to be vulnerable to unauthorized entry at multiple locations, but the authority lifted the ban after security measures were improved.
Japan Times
09-06-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Construction of Tohoku nuclear-fuel reprocessing plant ongoing after 30 years
The completion of Japan Nuclear Fuel's nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in the village of Rokkasho, Aomori Prefecture, which has been postponed numerous times, could be achieved next year, the company has said. A public relations official at Japan Nuclear Fuel said the company is "now confident to a certain degree" that the plant for processing spent fuel from nuclear power stations will be completed in fiscal 2026. Japanese power companies have been forced to store spent fuel within the premises of their nuclear power plants due to a delay of more than 25 years in the construction of the reprocessing plant. At one of the facilities at the plant recently shown to the media, spent fuel is stored at the bottom of a 27-meter-long, 11m-wide and 12m-deep pool. The plant has capacity to store 3,000 metric tons of spent fuel, but roughly 99% is already filled. The plant is for extracting uranium and plutonium that can be reused from spent nuclear fuel. It was supposed to play a central role in the nuclear fuel cycle, which the government regards as the pivot of its energy policy. After construction began in 1993, the plant was originally scheduled to be completed in 1997. But the completion has been postponed as many as 27 times, and a safety review by the Nuclear Regulation Authority is still ongoing. Based on the expected completion of the reprocessing plant in fiscal 2026, Kansai Electric Power reviewed its earlier policy regarding shipments of spent fuel from its nuclear plants in Fukui Prefecture and submitted a new road map to the Fukui Prefectural Government in February this year. The following month, Fukui Gov. Tatsuji Sugimoto met with Kansai Electric President Nozomu Mori and gave the prefecture's green light to the new schedule, making it possible for the company to continue operating three nuclear reactors that are more than 40 years old as a result. The three are the No. 1 and No. 2 reactors at the Takahama nuclear plant and the No. 3 reactor at the Mihama plant. The reprocessing plant's completion in fiscal 2026 as planned is indispensable for the continued operation of the three Kansai Electric reactors. However, many are concerned about the possibility of further delays.
The Mainichi
07-06-2025
- Business
- The Mainichi
Japan extends life of nuclear reactors beyond 60 years
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- A law enabling nuclear reactors in Japan to operate beyond 60 years took effect Friday, scrapping a limit imposed after the Fukushima crisis, with the government viewing the power source as vital to the country's energy mix. Under the new system, the life of a reactor will, in principle, be extended beyond 60 years by no longer including offline periods for safety reviews or suspensions ordered by courts that are not due to the inappropriate actions of an operator. The law replaces rules allowing the operation of reactors for up to 40 years, with extensions up to 60 years possible if approved by regulators. The rules were introduced in 2013 following the Fukushima nuclear disaster that was triggered by a massive earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. The legislation was enacted in 2023 after the government led by then Prime Minister Fumio Kishida shifted from the previous policy of reducing reliance on nuclear power, saying in 2022 that the country will fully utilize nuclear plants to cut carbon dioxide emissions and realize a stable energy supply amid Russia's war in Ukraine. The No. 1 reactor at Kansai Electric Power Co.'s Takahama nuclear plant, the country's oldest unit that began operating in November 1974, could be granted permission to continue for 72 years as it was offline for about 12 years due to a safety assessment by the Nuclear Regulation Authority and other reasons. The offline periods to be exempted from total service life do not include suspensions due to inappropriate actions by operators, such as when Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. was slapped with an effective ban on operating the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant in Niigata Prefecture for insufficient antiterrorism measures. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry will assess the extension periods of nuclear reactors beyond 60 years. The law also stipulates that operators of nuclear plants that have been running for 30 years or more must compile long-term plans for facility management at least every 10 years and obtain approval from the Nuclear Regulation Authority. The regulator will assess the soundness of nuclear reactors and the concrete used in such facilities as well as the feasibility of operators' plans to address parts shortages.
Japan Today
06-06-2025
- Business
- Japan Today
Japan extends life of nuclear reactors beyond 60 years
A law enabling nuclear reactors in Japan to operate beyond 60 years took effect Friday, scrapping a limit imposed after the Fukushima crisis, with the government viewing the power source as vital to the country's energy mix. Under the new system, the life of a reactor will, in principle, be extended beyond 60 years by no longer including offline periods for safety reviews or suspensions ordered by courts that are not due to the inappropriate actions of an operator. The law replaces rules allowing the operation of reactors for up to 40 years, with extensions up to 60 years possible if approved by regulators. The rules were introduced in 2013 following the Fukushima nuclear disaster that was triggered by a massive earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. The legislation was enacted in 2023 after the government led by then Prime Minister Fumio Kishida shifted from the previous policy of reducing reliance on nuclear power, saying in 2022 that the country will fully utilize nuclear plants to cut carbon dioxide emissions and realize a stable energy supply amid Russia's war in Ukraine. The No. 1 reactor at Kansai Electric Power Co's Takahama nuclear plant, the country's oldest unit that began operating in November 1974, could be granted permission to continue for 72 years as it was offline for about 12 years due to a safety assessment by the Nuclear Regulation Authority and other reasons. The offline periods to be exempted from total service life do not include suspensions due to inappropriate actions by operators, such as when Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc was slapped with an effective ban on operating the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant in Niigata Prefecture for insufficient antiterrorism measures. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry will assess the extension periods of nuclear reactors beyond 60 years. The law also stipulates that operators of nuclear plants that have been running for 30 years or more must compile long-term plans for facility management at least every 10 years and obtain approval from the Nuclear Regulation Authority. The regulator will assess the soundness of nuclear reactors and the concrete used in such facilities as well as the feasibility of operators' plans to address parts shortages. © KYODO
