Halted N-Plants to Restart If Safety Confirmed: Kan

Tokyo, May 18 (Jiji Press)—Prime Minister Naoto Kan said Wednesday that the government will allow nuclear power plants in Japan, which have suspended operations for regular checkups and other reasons, to restart once safety is confirmed.

Japan will make further use of nuclear power if a safer way for its use is found out, Kan said at a news conference, showing the government’s intention to maintain its policy to promote nuclear power.

Of Japan’s 54 commercial nuclear reactors, 17 are in full operation, two in operation on a trial basis and 35 have been halted for such reasons as regular checkups and the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, according to the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

Chubu Electric Power Co.’s <9502> Hamaoka plant in Omaezaki, Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan, was shut down as Kan asked the firm to halt operations until effective safety measures against tsunami are implemented. Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s <9501> Fukushima No. 1 plant in northeastern Japan was knocked out by the March disaster.

In the news conference, Kan said that an overhaul of Japan’s nuclear oversight is needed, because supervision and policy implementation are now undertaken by the same organization.

* Jiji Press, May 19, 2011
http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011051900001

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Tepco Scraps Plan To Build 2 New Reactors

TOKYO (Nikkei)—Tokyo Electric Power Co. (9501) on Friday said it will cancel a plan to build two nuclear reactors — No. 7 and No. 8 — at its Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

The company had already decided to decommission the other six reactors at the plant, which were damaged in the March 11 quake and tsunami, due to the ongoing nuclear crisis.

Nikkei, May 20, 2011
http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20110520D20SS315.htm

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 Tepco suffers record ’1.24 trillion group loss as president takes the fall

With the nuclear crisis pressing hard on management, Tokyo Electric Power Co. on Friday reported a record group net loss of \1.24 trillion for fiscal 2010.

Tepco didn’t include what are expected to be massive compensation payments to people and companies harmed by the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

President Masataka Shimizu announced he will resign after the blue chip utility’s June 28 shareholders’ meeting to take responsibility for the disaster triggered by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

Toshio Nishizawa, 60, a veteran from Tepco’s planning division, will assume the presidency.

“Because of the Fukushima accident this time, we have damaged the trust of nuclear power plant safety and have caused great concerns to people in society. I’d like to take responsibility,” Shimizu said at the firm’s headquarters.

Nishizawa said the company is facing “its biggest crisis since its foundation” and has to focus on tackling four issues: getting the Fukushima reactors under control, supporting the victims, providing stable electricity supply, and reforming the firm.

The utility also officially decided to decommission reactors 1 to 4 at the Fukushima No. 1 plant and called off plans to build two new ones there, No. 7 and No. 8.

While the beleaguered utility increased sales by 7 percent to \5.36 trillion and operating profit by 40.5 percent to \399.6 billion, it also posted a net loss of \1.24 trillion, reversing the \133.7 billion profit earned the previous year.

Extraordinary losses included \426.2 billion to stabilize the Fukushima reactors, \207 billion to eventually decommission them, and \211.8 billion to secure reactors 5 and 6 as well as the Fukushima No. 2 plant.

Tepco also disclosed plans to streamline management and to issue 20 percent pay cuts to regular employees and 40 to 60 percent pay cuts to executives. It also will sell off \600 billion in assets.

Along with Shimizu, Vice President Sakae Muto, who has been in charge of the nuclear plant business, will also step down.

Chairman Tsunehisa Katsumata will continue to oversee the crisis.

By KAZUAKI NAGATA, Japan Times Staff writer, May 21, 2011

* The Japan Times:
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nb20110521a1.html

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Man Sues Tokyo Electric over Nuclear Crisis

Tokyo, May 19 (Jiji Press)—A Tokyo resident has sued Tokyo Electric Power Co., seeking 100,000 yen in damages for intense anxiety and fear that the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant has caused, it was learned Thursday.

At the first hearing the same day, Tokyo Electric said the crisis was caused by an earthquake and tsunami much more powerful than anything imagined.

The embattled power company insisted that it was not obliged to prepare for such a contingency.

The suit was filed on March 28 at Tokyo Summary Court by a 46-year-old man.

In a written response to questions, Tokyo Electric said its nuclear power plants have been built in accordance with the law.

Jiji Press, May 19, 2011
http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2011051900640

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 Yamaguchi might nix nuke plant via license

YAMAGUCHI – The Yamaguchi Prefectural Government might invalidate Chugoku Electric Power Co.’s license to reclaim land in the Kaminoseki area for a nuclear power plant, Gov. Sekinari Nii said Thursday.

Nii also told reporters the prefecture will set its policy direction “while examining developments” related to the government’s review of nuclear energy policy in light of the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.

“We would like to give a direction, possibly in the course of the prefectural assembly session convening in June,” he said.

The prefecture in October 2008 granted an application by the Hiroshima-based utility to fill in land along the Seto Inland Sea coast of Kaminoseki.

The utility, which supplies electricity to Shimane, Tottori, Okayama, Hiroshima and Yamaguchi prefectures, plans to fill in 140,000 sq. meters for the site.

With an envisioned overall size of 330,000 sq. meters, the plant would be powered by two advanced boiling water reactors with an output capacity of 1.37 million kilowatts each.

The utility had been implementing landfill work for the plant, but citizens’ groups have staged a series of protest campaigns. the work was suspended March 15 in response to a request from the prefectural government.

The prefecture says the utility’s reclamation license will be invalidated unless it completes the work by October 2012.

Kyodo, May 20, 2011
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110520a1.html

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