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Released September 22, 2014 | SUGAR LAND
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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) has given safety clearance to the No. 1 and No. 2 reactors at the Sendai Nuclear Power Plant (Satsumasendai, Kaogshima), which is operated by Kyushu Electric Power Company Incorporated (TSE:9508) (Fukuoka, Japan). This will be the first plant in Japan to meet the new regulations that were implemented after the Fukushima nuclear disaster, and it paves the way toward the restart of other nuclear plants.
A five-member NRA panel approved the final screening report. The report reflected some of the 17,800 comments received from the public after the draft of July 16 screening report was approved. There was no major changes made in the final report.
The approval that was given to Kyushu Electric certifies the upgrades and safety features of the reactor units. However, Kyushu Electric still needs to submit various documents to the NRA. Kyushu Electric also must obtain consents from local authorities with Kagoshima Prefecture and Satsumasendai City.
Starting on October 9, the Kagoshima prefecture will hold town hall meetings to explain the NRA's final report to residents of five cities, including Satsumasendai City, which is within 30 kilometers (19 miles) of the Sendai Nuclear Power Plant.
When Kyushu Electric obtains consent from the local authorities, it will need to undergo on-site operational checks. As a result, the reactors likely would go back into operation no earlier than December.
The Japanese government still has a few nuclear power policy challenges to overcome, including the decommissioning of old reactors; lessening dependence on nuclear power, while maintaining it as a significant part of the country's energy mix; and coping with the subsequent impact of higher electricity bills.
The new safety regulations set the operational period for nuclear reactors at 40 years. More rigorous and costly standards were set for aging reactors.
Plant operators must apply for a special inspection prior to the periodical inspections. When a reactor passes the inspections, a utility company can get a 20-year extension. If the utility wants an extension, it must apply for a special inspection by July 2015.
According to senior NRA officials, "The inspection items are more than double [that] of the periodical inspection." A senior NRA official also said: "Utility companies should decommission the old reactors and concentrate more on safety measures for the new reactors."
Even if utility companies chose to decommission their aging reactors, there will still be a long road ahead. It takes 10 to 15 years before the decommissioning construction begins. First, the utility must decontaminate the facility and reduce the radiation levels of the reactor and control rod. For a 110-megawatt nuclear plant, it will take about 30 years to dismantle and demolish all the facilities. The decommissioning cost for one unit is about US$552 million (60 billion yen).
However, NRA Chairman Shunichi Tanaka said the decommissioning regulations are not complete. He noted that the issue of nuclear waste disposal after a decommissioning has not been resolved.
There are two nuclear power plants and two reactors besides the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant that are planned for decommissioning: the Tokai Nuclear Power Plant (Tokai, Ibaraki) (Japan Atomic Power Company); Fugen Nuclear Power Plant (Tsuruga, Fukui) (Japan Atomic Energy Agency), and the No. 1 & No. 2 nuclear reactors of the Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant (Omaezaki, Shizuoka) (Chubu Electric Power Company Incorporated).
Currently, there are 48 nuclear reactors, including Sendai Nuclear Power Plant's reactors, which have passed the safety screening. Twelve of those reactors began operations in the 1970s.
The Japanese government is considering the decommissioning of seven other reactors. These include the No. 1 and No. 2 reactors of both the Mihama Nuclear Power Plant (Mihama, Fukui) and Takahama Nuclear power Plant (Takahama, Fukui) (Kansai Electric Power Company Incorporated); the No. 1 reactor of the Shimane Nuclear Power Plant (Matsumae, Shimane) (Chugoku Electric Power Company Incorporated); the No. 1 reactor of the Genkai Nuclear Power Plant (Higashimatsumura, Saga) (Kyushu Electric Power Company Incorporated); and the No. 1 reactor of the Tsugruga Nuclear Power Plant (Tsuruga, Fukui) (Japan Atomic Power Company). The government will ask the operators of the seven reactors to submit decommissioning plans by the end of this year.
View Plant Profile - 1082211 1082016 1053020 1081523 1059747
For related information, see December 13, 2013, article - Japan Returns Nuclear Power to Energy Plan, Reverses Post-Fukushima Policy, and March 17, 2014, article - Regulators Prioritize Japan's Sendai Nuclear Power Plant for Final Safety Review.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, three offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.
A five-member NRA panel approved the final screening report. The report reflected some of the 17,800 comments received from the public after the draft of July 16 screening report was approved. There was no major changes made in the final report.
The approval that was given to Kyushu Electric certifies the upgrades and safety features of the reactor units. However, Kyushu Electric still needs to submit various documents to the NRA. Kyushu Electric also must obtain consents from local authorities with Kagoshima Prefecture and Satsumasendai City.
Starting on October 9, the Kagoshima prefecture will hold town hall meetings to explain the NRA's final report to residents of five cities, including Satsumasendai City, which is within 30 kilometers (19 miles) of the Sendai Nuclear Power Plant.
When Kyushu Electric obtains consent from the local authorities, it will need to undergo on-site operational checks. As a result, the reactors likely would go back into operation no earlier than December.
The Japanese government still has a few nuclear power policy challenges to overcome, including the decommissioning of old reactors; lessening dependence on nuclear power, while maintaining it as a significant part of the country's energy mix; and coping with the subsequent impact of higher electricity bills.
The new safety regulations set the operational period for nuclear reactors at 40 years. More rigorous and costly standards were set for aging reactors.
Plant operators must apply for a special inspection prior to the periodical inspections. When a reactor passes the inspections, a utility company can get a 20-year extension. If the utility wants an extension, it must apply for a special inspection by July 2015.
According to senior NRA officials, "The inspection items are more than double [that] of the periodical inspection." A senior NRA official also said: "Utility companies should decommission the old reactors and concentrate more on safety measures for the new reactors."
Even if utility companies chose to decommission their aging reactors, there will still be a long road ahead. It takes 10 to 15 years before the decommissioning construction begins. First, the utility must decontaminate the facility and reduce the radiation levels of the reactor and control rod. For a 110-megawatt nuclear plant, it will take about 30 years to dismantle and demolish all the facilities. The decommissioning cost for one unit is about US$552 million (60 billion yen).
However, NRA Chairman Shunichi Tanaka said the decommissioning regulations are not complete. He noted that the issue of nuclear waste disposal after a decommissioning has not been resolved.
There are two nuclear power plants and two reactors besides the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant that are planned for decommissioning: the Tokai Nuclear Power Plant (Tokai, Ibaraki) (Japan Atomic Power Company); Fugen Nuclear Power Plant (Tsuruga, Fukui) (Japan Atomic Energy Agency), and the No. 1 & No. 2 nuclear reactors of the Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant (Omaezaki, Shizuoka) (Chubu Electric Power Company Incorporated).
Currently, there are 48 nuclear reactors, including Sendai Nuclear Power Plant's reactors, which have passed the safety screening. Twelve of those reactors began operations in the 1970s.
The Japanese government is considering the decommissioning of seven other reactors. These include the No. 1 and No. 2 reactors of both the Mihama Nuclear Power Plant (Mihama, Fukui) and Takahama Nuclear power Plant (Takahama, Fukui) (Kansai Electric Power Company Incorporated); the No. 1 reactor of the Shimane Nuclear Power Plant (Matsumae, Shimane) (Chugoku Electric Power Company Incorporated); the No. 1 reactor of the Genkai Nuclear Power Plant (Higashimatsumura, Saga) (Kyushu Electric Power Company Incorporated); and the No. 1 reactor of the Tsugruga Nuclear Power Plant (Tsuruga, Fukui) (Japan Atomic Power Company). The government will ask the operators of the seven reactors to submit decommissioning plans by the end of this year.
View Plant Profile - 1082211 1082016 1053020 1081523 1059747
For related information, see December 13, 2013, article - Japan Returns Nuclear Power to Energy Plan, Reverses Post-Fukushima Policy, and March 17, 2014, article - Regulators Prioritize Japan's Sendai Nuclear Power Plant for Final Safety Review.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, three offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.
