Prime Minister Naoto Kan said Friday he instructed a utility to shut down a nuclear power plant in central Honshu because of concerns it might be compromised by major quake or tsunami that is expected to hit the region.
Kan said the measure was to ensure safety, citing widespread forecasts that there’s a 90 percent chance of a major quake striking the Chubu region, a roughly nine-prefecture area just west of Tokyo, in 30 years.
“If an accident occurs at Hamaoka, it could create serious consequences,” Kan said in a hastily arranged news conference, referring to the Hamaoka nuclear power plant in Shizuoka Prefecture.
Chubu Electric Power Co. has two active reactors and a third that’s been shut for regular inspections at the plant, which is on the coast of Shizuoka just southwest of Mount Fuji.
Chubu Electric will shut down all of the remaining active reactors at Hamaoka, company sources said.
Kan said the nuclear power station should be halted until the utility takes medium- to long-term measures to protect against natural disasters, including ocean embankments.
The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said later in the day that the Hamaoka plant is likely to be shut down for around two years.
Japan has been stepping up efforts to improve nuclear safety since the March 11 mega-quake and tsunami caused the world’s worst nuclear accident in a quarter century at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant run by Tokyo Electric Power Co. The tsunami left more than 25,000 people dead and missing in the northeast Tohoku region.
Kan said that the closure of the plant might cause power shortages in Chubu Electric’s service area in the summer.
But Kan promised that the government will take utmost measures not to cause a major imbalance in power demand and supply in the region. He also called on the public to conserve electricity.
Situated on the Pacific coast in Omaezaki, the Hamaoka complex was built near a major fault line and currently has its No. 4 and 5 reactors online. It was hoping to restart the No. 3 reactor as early as July.
Reactors No. 1 and 2 have been out of operation for some time and are scheduled to be decommissioned.
The Fukushima No.1 nuclear plant lost its power and cooling systems, triggering fires, explosions and radiation leaks that combined to make it the world’s second-worst nuclear accident.
Radiation leaks from the Fukushima plant have forced 80,000 people living within a 20-km radius to leave their homes. Many are living in gymnasiums and community centers.
Residents in Shizuoka have long demanded the suspension of the Hamaoka reactors.
The Japan Times
* The Japan Times, Ap, Kyodo, Saturday, May 7, 2011
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110507a2.html
Hamaoka tsunami measures ’insufficient’
May 8, 2011
Prime Minister Naoto Kan asked that the operation of all reactors at the controversial Hamaoka nuclear power station be suspended because the government deemed the plant’s precautions against damage from a giant earthquake and tsunami to be insufficient.
On Friday, Kan asked plant operator Chubu Electric Power Co. to halt all the reactors, including the currently operating Nos. 4 and 5 reactors.
The safety of the Hamaoka plant has been widely questioned in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake because a so-called Tokai earthquake has been predicted near the plant in the near future. As the entire nation is earthquake prone, Kan’s request is expected to have ramifications for other nuclear plants in coastal areas.
The Hamaoka plant has long been the focus of controversy because of predictions by scientists that a huge earthquake could occur at any time. But the plant has continued to operate as the debate has gone on. The predicted Tokai earthquake would be caused by plate movements somewhere off southern Shizuoka Prefecture. Historically, major earthquakes have occurred every 100 to 150 years in the area.
The government’s Central Disaster Management Council has calculated that if three earthquakes simultaneously occurred in the focal area—the Tokai, Tonankai and Nankai areas—the magnitude could be as large as 8.7 and the subsequent tsunami as high as six or seven meters.
The government drastically revised earthquake damage prevention standards for nuclear power plants in 2006, the first revision in about 25 years. The proposed changes would have required nuclear plants to adhere to much higher standards. But during a review of the revision by the Nuclear Safety Commission, heated arguments erupted over the Hamaoka plant and it took five years to finish the job.
After the revision was completed, operators of the nations’ 50-plus nuclear reactors were required to raise the assumed magnitude of the earthquakes they based their disaster plans on, and strengthen facilities at the plants accordingly.
At the Hamaoka plant, the presumed acceleration for the worst-case earthquake was raised by 1.7 times to 1,000 gals. In the Nos. 3 to 5 reactors, important pipes and electric cable fittings were reinforced, and exhaust structures were strengthened. The 1,000-gal figure was more than double the figure recommended by the Central Disaster Management Council for a possible Tokai quake, and is the strictest assessment in the nation.
The Nos. 1 and 2 reactors at Hamaoka began operating in the 1970s, and experts have pointed out they have deteriorated due to age. Reactors at the tsunami-crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant have been said to have similar problems.
Chubu Electric Power Co. therefore decided to decommission the two reactors because making them sufficiently earthquake-resistant would cost about 300 billion yen. In their place, the utility planned to build a sixth reactor. At the time, the government praised Chubu Electric’s efforts and approved the plant for continued operations.
However, the revised standards focused mainly on reexamining assessments of inland quakes caused by unknown active faults, and the danger posed by tsunami was left largely untouched.
But the intensity of the March 11 earthquake and the size of the tsunami exceeded all previous forecasts and revealed the limitations of the revised standards.
In the wake of the accident at the Fukushima plant, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency of the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry instructed Chubu Electric to compile additional emergency safety measures for the Hamaoka plant. The utility has since announced a safety plan that emphasizes preparing for tsunami, including preventing the loss of power to the reactors’ cooling functions, which was behind the problems at the Fukushima plant.
An emergency generator was set up on higher ground, and additional power cables and makeshift pumps to cool the reactors were installed. Heavy machinery was brought to the plant to remove debris that could obstruct repairs in an emergency.
But the pillar of the plant’s antitsunami measures is a 15-meter-high seawall, which is almost double the height of the maximum tsunami predicted in a Tokai earthquake, and would likely protect the plant from a tsunami similar to the one that hit the Fukushima plant. The wall is scheduled to be completed by the end of fiscal 2013 between the plant and some sand dunes that are 10 to 15 meters high.
The Nuclear Safety Commission has begun the next revision of the earthquake preparation standards to include plans to prevent damage from tsunami.
However, during past debates over revising the standards, risk assessments were sharply divided between those for and against nuclear power, and the deliberations invariably ended ambiguously. The debate over the Hamaoka plant showed how nuclear policies have been put in place without clear consensus with regards to risk.
Kan’s request that the reactors at the Hamaoka plant be suspended cast doubt on the validity of the government’s revisions of nuclear plant safety standards.
The Yomiuri Shimbun
* The Yomiuri Shimbun, May 8, 2011
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T110507002816.htm
Cheers, jeers greet Kan’s policy on Hamaoka nuclear plant
The prime minister’s request to shut down all reactors at the Hamaoka nuclear plant was cheered by those longing for stricter safety standards but jeered by others as a stunning decision that will hurt businesses.
Naoto Kan said May 6 the government asked Chubu Electric Power Co. to halt the reactors at the Hamaoka nuclear power plant in Omaezaki, Shizuoka Prefecture, citing the danger of the long-predicted Tokai earthquake. The plant lies in the focal region of what is expected to be a massive quake.
Omaezaki Mayor Shigeo Ishihara said he was “utterly stunned” by Kan’s decision.
“If the government stops the (Hamaoka) nuclear power plant, I think all nuclear power plants should be stopped,” Ishihara said.
However, Shizuoka Governor Heita Kawakatsu, who has questioned Chubu Electric’s anti-disaster measures, welcomed Kan’s decision, saying in a statement the central government has given top priority to requests from local officials and residents to ensure safety.
He also asked the government to deal appropriately with any adverse impact on the local economy.
The effects on the economy and business have already been cited by those opposed to the shutdown.
Chubu Electric officials fear that power demand may exceed its capacity in the summer unless it can secure additional supply from its thermal power plants or other utilities.
Its power generation capacity will fall to 26.37 gigawatts, only 770 megawatts above the projected peak demand this summer, if the Hamaoka nuclear power plant is stopped.
The company said demand will increase by 800 megawatts if the summer temperature rises 1 degree.
The No. 4 and No. 5 reactors are in operation at the Hamaoka plant, and Chubu Electric said in April it planned to restart the No. 3 reactor, currently shut down for regular inspections, in July to ensure a stable power supply in the summer.
The three reactors have a combined capacity of 3.62 gigawatts.
The No. 1 and No. 2 reactors are being decomissioned.
When the No. 3 to 5 reactors were halted in summer 2009, Chubu Electric increased capacity at its thermal power plants.
Officials at the Agency for National Resources and Energy said they do not expect an electricity shortage in the region serviced by Chubu Electric this summer.
But other regional utilities have already raised doubts that they can supply sufficient electricity to Chubu Electric.
Kansai Electric Power Co., which has been asked to support Chubu Electric, expects a tight supply-demand condition if it cannot restart nuclear power reactors now undergoing regular inspections.
Hokuriku Electric Power Co. also said it will lack surplus capacity if it cannot restart two reactors as scheduled at its Shika nuclear power plant. The reactors have been shut down for reasons including regular inspections.
Shikoku Electric Power Co. raised concerns that Kan’s decision could delay the scheduled restart of the No. 3 reactor at its Ikata nuclear power plant.
An official at Toshiba Corp. said the company will be “in deep trouble” if rolling blackouts, similar to those Tokyo Electric Power Co. implemented after the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, are introduced.
Once equipment is stopped, it takes one week to resume production at Toshiba’s main semiconductor plant in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture.
The heads of other municipalities where nuclear power plants are located also expressed surprise at Kan’s decision.
“It was a considerably bold decision,” said Hiroshi Aida, mayor of Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture.
At TEPCO’s Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, reactors were halted after the Niigata Chuetsu-oki Earthquake in July 2007. Four reactors have since resumed operations after they were reinforced against earthquakes.
Aida said he believes there is no need to immediately suspend those four reactors, but he will examine what countermeasures TEPCO takes against future tsunami.
Hideo Kishimoto, mayor of Genkai, Saga Prefecture, described Kan’s announcement as “abrupt.” Kyushu Electric Power Co.’s Genkai nuclear power plant is located in the town.
But Nagoya Mayor Takashi Kawamura, citing the safety concerns of local residents, said Kan made a “wise judgment.”
Yoshika Shiratori, 78, who represents a group of plaintiffs seeking the suspension of the No. 1 to 4 reactors at the Hamaoka plant, said Kan’s words are the most encouraging news she could dream of.
“I thought this country would be finished if it does not reconsider its policies (on nuclear power generation) after the accident in Fukushima Prefecture,” Shiratori said. “I hope Kan will carry through his wise decision.”
Asahi Shinbun
* Asahi Shinbun, 2011/05/08
http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201105070138.html
Kan’s attempt to shut down Hamaoka lacks legal basis
The administration of Prime Minister Naoto Kan has decided to seek the complete suspension of the Hamaoka Nuclear Power Station, the only atomic power plant operated by Chubu Electric Power Co.
The utility serves central Japan’s industrial zone, home to many key manufacturers, including Toyota Motor Corp. and Suzuki Motor Corp.
Kan, who announced the decision at a hastily called news conference Friday, acknowledged that the government’s request for Chubu Electric to halt the nuclear plant lacks any legal basis.
The uncompromising measure appears to have been decided almost single-handedly by the prime minister, who is fending off criticism that his administration has been slow to act in containing the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
“After contemplating it over and over again, I, the prime minister of the Cabinet, have made the decision,’’ Kan said.”It was a judgment, a decision made after taking into account the unique circumstances of the Hamaoka nuclear plant and considering public safety and security.“He also said the measure is outside the nation’s legal framework.”The current legal system doesn’t allow for an official decision, such as an instruction or an order," he said.
After the March 11 mega-quake and tsunami, officials began examining the need to suspend the Hamaoka plant out of concern it might not be able to safely withstand a similar quake. But some were wary of taking such action.
The plant, which has three reactors that generate between 1.1 million and 1.38 million kilowatts, sits in the heart of a seismic zone that scientists consider ripe for the “big one’’ - a major quake as powerful as magnitude 8.0 that is so widely feared it is already known as the”Tokai quake.“”We want to stop it, but if we stop it, it could trigger the suspension of other nuclear power plants," one Cabinet member reportedly said.
According to a government source, Kan decided to suspend Hamaoka and then persuaded other Cabinet members, such as Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Banri Kaieda, to accept the decision. METI oversees the nuclear power industry.
The source refuted the prime minister’s claims of contemplation: “It was nothing but a political judgment of the prime minister. It wasn’t like the move came after a lot of consideration.”
The administration’s decision was conveyed over the phone Friday evening by Kaieda to Akihisa Mizuno, president of Chubu Electric. Mizuho is said to have told the trade minister that he “would like to withhold the final answer for now.”
The head of the utility’s Tokyo branch later went to the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency and formally received the request in writing.
The news caused a sensation at Chubu Electric’s head office in Nagoya.
“It was totally unexpected. It came out of the blue,” a public relations official said of the request to suspend Hamaoka’s No. 4 and No. 5 reactors, which are the only ones running. Units 1 and 2 are set to be decommisioned and No. 3 is undergoing regular maintenance.
The utility drew flak from local residents when its fiscal 2011 earnings forecast released on April 28 appeared to assume the restart of the No. 3 reactor .
Residents around Hamaoka have become nervous about nuclear power since the crisis at Fukushima No. 1 began nearly two months ago.
This has prompted some at Chubu Electric to call for measures to allay such concerns so it can ease the No. 3 reactor back into service, a company source said.
But what the administration has come up with is far more drastic - a request to suspend two operating reactors. Chubu Electric has decided to decommission No. 1 and No. 2 rather than bear the huge costs estimated to beef up their quake-resistance.
In the written request to the Tokyo branch chief, the administration apparently wants the suspension to last until coastal levees and other tsunami countermeasures are completed.
Completion of such measures is currently scheduled for early 2014.
If Hamaoka is suspended, “summer power supply conditions will get considerably severe,” a PR officer at the company said.
The utility, for its part, has been taking steps to improve disaster preparedness at Hamaoka.
It has secured two vehicles with power generators that can run the reactors if they lose power or if the emergency generators fail.
It has also secured supplementary power generators for seawater pumps that could be used to cool down the reactor equipment.
As long-term measures, Chubu Electric has also decided to build a coastal levee that can withstand waves of up to 12 meters.
Given the need for the steps, METI chief Kaieda said, “We have come to the conclusion that (the facility) has to be suspended until additional work is completed.”
After Kan’s news conference, Goshi Hosono, who is advising Kan on the Fukushima nuclear crisis, told reporters, “The prime minister has become extremely concerned about the Hamaoka nuclear plant and has issued instructions to listen to a variety of views.”
The Japan Times
* Kyodo, Sunday, May 8, 2011
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110508a4.html
Nukes only way to go: Sengoku
Monday, May 9, 2011
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku says that Japan will maintain atomic power as part of its energy policy despite the country’s ongoing nuclear crisis.
Appearing Sunday on a talk show on public broadcaster NHK, Sengoku said that Japan will “stick to nuclear power as a national energy policy.”
Sengoku also said the government has no plans to halt nuclear reactors other than three at the Hamaoka power plant in central Japan.
On Friday, Prime Minister Naoto Kan said he had asked the plant to suspend operations at the reactors until a seawall is built and backup systems are improved.
The Japan Times
* The Japan Times, AP, Monday, May 9, 2011
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110509a6.html
Kan Not Seeking Suspensions At Nuke Plants Besides Hamaoka
TOKYO (Nikkei)—Prime Minister Naoto Kan insisted Sunday that he will not request operational shutdowns at nuclear power plants beyond Chubu Electric Power Co.’s (9502) Hamaoka facility, which sits atop an earthquake zone.
The Hamaoka complex in Shizuoka Prefecture “is located in an area with an exceptionally high possibility of a quake, so this is an extraordinary measure,” he told reporters.
In the face of calls from some opposition lawmakers to drop nuclear power altogether, the government remains committed to the technology. Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku, appearing on an NHK program Sunday, asserted, “We’re firmly behind nuclear power for our energy strategy and policy.”
Nuclear plants other than the Hamaoka site are “mostly in areas were there’s currently less than a 1% chance of an earthquake of level 6 or above hitting within 30 years,” Sengoku said, referring to the Japanese seismic intensity scale, which tops out at 7. “There’s no particular concern about nuclear plants on the coasts of the Sea of Japan or the Seto Inland Sea. This can be backed up scientifically.”
The deputy chief cabinet secretary indicated that the prime minister’s request to halt operations at the Hamaoka facility was the correct call. “There’s an 87% chance of a huge quake hitting Hamaoka. Experts as well as the general public can see that’s an issue.”
Nikkei
* Nikkey, Monday, May 9, 2011, the May 9 morning edition
http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20110508D08JFF05.htm