ID :
180463
Fri, 05/06/2011 - 17:46
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/180463
The shortlink copeid
Chubu Electric plans to stop Hamaoka nuclear power plant
TOKYO, May 6 Kyodo - Chubu Electric Power Co. plans to stop all reactors at its Hamaoka nuclear plant in central Japan following Prime Minister Naoto Kan's request to do so for security reasons, company sources said Friday.
The decision was learned of shortly after Kan said at a hastily arranged news conference in the evening that all operations at the plant in Shizuoka Prefecture must be suspended due to concerns that a powerful earthquake could trigger yet another serious nuclear crisis.
''It's a decision made after thinking about people's safety,'' Kan said in announcing the request, referring to the science ministry's prediction of an 87 percent chance of a magnitude-8.0 quake hitting the Tokai region within the next 30 years.
Kan said the nuclear power station should be halted until the utility implements medium- to long-term measures for protection against natural disasters, including building embankments.
Japan has been stepping up efforts to improve nuclear safety following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that caused the world's worst nuclear crisis in a quarter century, at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant operated by Tokyo Electric Power Co.
A Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency official said Chubu Electric will likely need around two years to finish implementing sufficient preventive steps against major earthquakes and tsunamis.
Chubu Electric President Akihisa Mizuno said in a statement that the utility will ''swiftly consider'' the government's request and decide whether to suspend the plant's operations.
Kan said some power shortages could occur in the utility's service area, where major Japanese companies such as Toyota Motor Corp. and Suzuki Motor Corp. are headquartered, in the summer after the shutdown of the Hamaoka facility.
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 people and companies to reduce electricity consumption.
Industry minister Banri Kaieda said rolling blackouts are not likely to take place in the region, adding that the government has asked Kansai Electric Power Co., which supplies adjacent western areas, to cooperate on power supply.
Located on the Pacific coast in Omaezaki, southwest of Tokyo, the Hamaoka complex stands near a major fault line. Currently, the Nos. 4 and 5 reactors are in operation and the utility had been hoping to restart the No. 3 reactor, which is undergoing regular checks, as early as July.
The Nos. 1 and 2 reactors have already been put out of operation and the utility will decommission them.
The decision was learned of shortly after Kan said at a hastily arranged news conference in the evening that all operations at the plant in Shizuoka Prefecture must be suspended due to concerns that a powerful earthquake could trigger yet another serious nuclear crisis.
''It's a decision made after thinking about people's safety,'' Kan said in announcing the request, referring to the science ministry's prediction of an 87 percent chance of a magnitude-8.0 quake hitting the Tokai region within the next 30 years.
Kan said the nuclear power station should be halted until the utility implements medium- to long-term measures for protection against natural disasters, including building embankments.
Japan has been stepping up efforts to improve nuclear safety following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that caused the world's worst nuclear crisis in a quarter century, at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant operated by Tokyo Electric Power Co.
A Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency official said Chubu Electric will likely need around two years to finish implementing sufficient preventive steps against major earthquakes and tsunamis.
Chubu Electric President Akihisa Mizuno said in a statement that the utility will ''swiftly consider'' the government's request and decide whether to suspend the plant's operations.
Kan said some power shortages could occur in the utility's service area, where major Japanese companies such as Toyota Motor Corp. and Suzuki Motor Corp. are headquartered, in the summer after the shutdown of the Hamaoka facility.
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 people and companies to reduce electricity consumption.
Industry minister Banri Kaieda said rolling blackouts are not likely to take place in the region, adding that the government has asked Kansai Electric Power Co., which supplies adjacent western areas, to cooperate on power supply.
Located on the Pacific coast in Omaezaki, southwest of Tokyo, the Hamaoka complex stands near a major fault line. Currently, the Nos. 4 and 5 reactors are in operation and the utility had been hoping to restart the No. 3 reactor, which is undergoing regular checks, as early as July.
The Nos. 1 and 2 reactors have already been put out of operation and the utility will decommission them.
