Kansai Electric Power Plant Raided Over Deadly Nuclear Accident
Sep 04 - Jiji Press English News Service
Osaka, Sept. 4 (Jiji Press)--Fukui prefectural police on Saturday searched a nuclear plant operated by Kansai Electric Power Co. for evidence of lax security management that may have led to the deaths of five workers in one of Japan's worst nuclear plant disasters.
The disaster has further fueled the security concern over nuclear plants that
has grown since Tokyo Electric Power Co. was forced to suspend all of its
nuclear reactors at one time due to the scandal over its falsification of plant
safety records in 2002.
Police investigations in the latest case will focus on Kansai Electric's
failure to conduct any proper check on the piping system since the plant started
operation in 1976.
Kansai Electric drew up guidelines on piping system checks in 1990, prompted
by a pipe rupture accident at a U.S. nuclear plant, but the pipe that broke had
never been examined due to a procedural error.
A subcontractor doing maintenance work for the plant noticed the error and
recommended Kansai Electric check the pipe last November. But the power company
claims to be unaware of such a recommendation.
Following the police raid, Kansai Electric issued a statement pledging
efforts to uncover the cause of the accident and to take steps to prevent
accidents.
Now that the accident has developed into a criminal case, Kansai Electric
President Yosaku Fuji and Chairman Yoshihisa Akiyama are expected to face
increased pressure to resign.
The temporary closure of the Mihama plant following the accident is expected
to deal a heavy financial blow to Kansai Electric, which derives 65 pct of its
electricity from nuclear power, as well as denting public confidence in the
second biggest Japanese power supplier.
Kansai Electric initially estimated its losses from the suspension of the
Mihama plant at 10 billion yen, but the figure is expected to rise further.END