Tsuruga Nuclear Reactor Decommissioning Bogged DownOct 07 - Jiji Press English News ServiceUncertainty is growing about the future of a reactor at Japan Atomic Power Co.'s nuclear power plant in Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture, that was once appeared certain to be decommissioned for safety reasons. The Nuclear Regulation Authority determined in May that an active fault lies beneath the No. 2 nuclear reactor at the plant. The conclusion, which would lead the reactor to be decommissioned, was the first of its kind by the NRA, established in September last year. In earthquake-prone Japan, utilities are not allowed to build reactors or other key facilities for nuclear power generation above faults that could move and damage them. But the issue of decommissioning the reactor remains open as Japan Atomic Power has fiercely contested the NRA judgment. Following the NRA's conclusion, based on a report by outside experts who conducted an on-the-spot investigation last December, the utility presented the authority with a report disputing the conclusion. It also claimed that a survey by a different group of experts has denied the presence of an active fault beneath the No. 2 reactor. When the NRA told Japan Atomic Power to assess the impact of a possible earthquake on the spent nuclear pool at the reactor, the utility defied the order, lodging a complaint with the authority under a law allowing the public to challenge administrative actions. The NRA, which demanded a report from Japan Atomic Power on the possible outcome if the fault moved and caused the pool to lose its coolant water, turned down the complaint in early October. "The benefits of the complaint have been lost," due to the submission of the report denying the presence of an active fault, the NRA said. The rejection was "extremely insincere and unfair," Japan Atomic Power has said in a statement. Japan Atomic Power, which is allowed to file an administrative lawsuit within six months, is eager to continue operating the No. 2 reactor, its main source of earnings as the most recent of the three reactors it owns. The NRA decided to review Japan Atomic Power's claim anew following strong criticism from Fukui Governor Issei Nishikawa, Tsuruga Mayor Kazuharu Kawase and ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers representing areas with nuclear power plants. Electric power companies are authorized to take the final decision on whether to decommission their reactors. Two other reactors are said to stand above active faults, but they are likely to continue in existence if there is resistance to decommissioning similar to that by Japan Atomic Power. Support to facilitate utility decisions to decommission reactors, such as regulatory reform to ease the financial burden, "may be the only way" of addressing the issue of nuclear power plants built above active faults, says Hideyuki Ban, codirector of the Citizens' Nuclear Information Center.END http://www.energycentral.com/functional/news/news_detail.cfm?did=30233500& |