Japan official orders Kansai Electric Power Co. to shut down nuclear reactor
Kyodo News International, Tokyo -- Sep. 27--FUKUI, Japan
Sep. 27--FUKUI, Japan -- Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Shoichi Nakagawa on Monday ordered Kansai Electric Power Co. to suspend operation of the No. 3 reactor at its Mihama Nuclear Power Plant in Fukui Prefecture until the reactor is confirmed to meet government standards, following Japan's most deadly nuclear power plant accident in August.
The workers had been undertaking preparatory work for regular checks of the
reactor.
The minister also reprimanded Kansai Electric President Yosaku Fuji for a
series of indiscretions and requested that he take every possible measure to
prevent a similar incident.
Nakagawa harshly criticized the utility and indicated more penalties to come.
"Kansai Electric's responsibility is grave," he told a news
conference. "I don't think the case will be closed with a reprimand and a
suspension order. This is simply an interim report, not a final decision."
As nearly two months have passed since the accident, the concerned authorities
have finished part of their probe into the cause of the incident, but the police
are continuing a thorough investigation into the errors that led up to the
accident.
In the interim report, the panel said failure to check into corrosion of
pipes had triggered the accident, naming Kansai Electric, Nihon Arm Co., Kansai
Electric's affiliate overseeing maintenance of the utility's power plants, and
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., which manufactured the reactor, for blame.
The report urged the three to set up an integrated system to control the
pipes and to share information on safety controls with each other as prevention
measures.
The ministry also canceled its quality guarantee assessment for three
reactors. The three, all in Fukui, are the Mihama No. 1 reactor, the No. 3
reactor at the Takahama Nuclear Power Plant and the No.2 reactor at the Oi
Nuclear Power Plant.
"We take (the reprimand) seriously and will make every effort to prevent
a recurrence and restore credibility," Fuji told reporters but denied that
he was going to resign to take responsibility.
Meanwhile, investigative sources said Monday that police will raid a Kansai
Electric branch office in Fukui prefecture on Tuesday as part of their
investigation into the accident in August.
The raid, which is to look for evidence to back up the company's alleged
professional negligence resulting in death, is expected to take two days, the
sources said.
The Fukui prefectural police plan to examine documents to determine company
officials' responsibility for failing to check a coolant water pipe at the
Mihama Nuclear Power Plant for nearly 28 years until it corroded and ruptured
Aug. 9, blowing out superheated steam.
Kansai Electric is suspected of failing to conduct checks even after Nihon
Arm warned it last November that the pipe in question had been overlooked during
annual inspections.
In order to specify the exact date of when Nihon Arm had notified the utility
about the danger, the police will search Kansai Electric's Wakasa branch office
in Mihama, which oversees operations at the company's 11 nuclear reactors in
Fukui Prefecture.
The planned raid will follow one conducted earlier this month when the police
sent about 150 officers to search both companies' offices inside the plant.
Kansai Electric earlier said it is ready to fully cooperate with the
investigation.
Investigations conducted after the accident have shown that coolant water had
corroded the ruptured pipe to a thickness of only 0.6 millimeter, compared with
its original thickness of 10 mm.
The 826-megawatt, pressurized-water reactor is the newest of the three
reactors at the Mihama plant.
-----
To see more of Kyodo News International, go to http://www.kyodonews.com
(c) 2004, Kyodo News International, Tokyo. Distributed by
Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News. For information on republishing this
content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax
(213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com. 9503,