ID :
180575
Sat, 05/07/2011 - 18:07
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https://oananews.org//node/180575
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Chubu Electric puts off decision on suspending Hamaoka nuclear plant
NAGOYA, May 7 Kyodo - Chubu Electric Power Co. held an inconclusive board meeting Saturday on whether to suspend the Hamaoka nuclear power plant in Shizuoka Prefecture for safety reasons as requested by Prime Minister Naoto Kan.
The utility serving central Japan surrounding Nagoya said it had decided to continue the talks as ''the contents for consideration are extremely important, are diverse and will significantly impact many people.''
The discussions held Saturday covered issues including what impact suspending all of the reactors at the plant will have on Chubu Electric's business and how to cope with electricity demand during the summer without its only nuclear power plant, the company said.
The Nagoya-based power company is expected to consider the matter carefully as suspending the plant could also affect local employment and the firm will also have to think about its accountability to shareholders.
It will likely study alternative sources such as boosting output at its thermal power plants and procuring electricity from other utilities, company sources said.
The Hamaoka plant located in the city of Omaezaki accounts for around 11.7 percent of the total electricity supply of Chubu Electric, the service area of which includes the head offices of major Japanese manufacturers such as Toyota Motor Corp. and Suzuki Motor Corp.
It has been projected that suspending the plant will lead to the loss of around 3.6 million kilowatts of the firm's power supply capacity, set at 29.99 million kilowatts for fiscal 2011, according to the utility's power supply plan.
This would enable the company to meet the anticipated peak demand of 25.60 million kilowatts but would only leave remaining supply capacity of around 3 percent -- below the 8 to 10 percent deemed appropriate.
Power supply without the Hamaoka plant would also be insufficient if demand reaches the record high of 28.21 million kilowatts recorded in August 2008.
At a hastily arranged news conference Friday evening, Kan said all operations at the Hamaoka plant must be suspended due to concern that a powerful earthquake could hit the area and trigger another serious nuclear accident in addition to the ongoing crisis at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima Daiichi plant in Fukushima Prefecture.
Kan referred to the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry's prediction that there is an 87 percent chance of a magnitude-8.0 level quake hitting the Tokai region in central Japan within 30 years.
Located on the Pacific coast 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 in July. The Nos. 1 and 2 reactors have already been put out of operation and the utility is set to decommission them.
Chubu Electric President Akihisa Mizuno responded in a statement late Friday that the utility will ''swiftly consider'' the premier's request. A company official said Saturday morning, ''A business judgment at the highest level is required. It is important that we make a decision swiftly and notify society of it.''
But as Kan has admitted that the request is not legally binding, some people within Chubu Electric remain reluctant to immediately comply with it, the sources said.
In summer, energy demand, chiefly for air conditioning, climbs 800,000 kilowatts for each 1 C rise in temperature, according to the utility.
If it is to meet all of the demand with only thermal power generation, the additional fuel cost would be 700 million yen per day, or about 250 billion yen annually, according to the firm.
Omaezaki Mayor Shigeo Ishihara complained Saturday about Kan's request, telling a press conference, ''It will have a large impact on (local) employment. I wanted him to listen more to local opinions,'' adding that the local assembly is united in seeking enhanced safety steps while keeping the plant running.
The request is not intended to halt the country's entire nuclear program and was made after confirming that it would not damage the economy of the Chubu region in central Japan, Goshi Hosono, one of Kan's aides from the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, said on a TV talk show the same day.
He and Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Banri Kaieda have inspected the plant but ''could not fully dispel concerns'' about a possible accident, Hosono said.
The utility serving central Japan surrounding Nagoya said it had decided to continue the talks as ''the contents for consideration are extremely important, are diverse and will significantly impact many people.''
The discussions held Saturday covered issues including what impact suspending all of the reactors at the plant will have on Chubu Electric's business and how to cope with electricity demand during the summer without its only nuclear power plant, the company said.
The Nagoya-based power company is expected to consider the matter carefully as suspending the plant could also affect local employment and the firm will also have to think about its accountability to shareholders.
It will likely study alternative sources such as boosting output at its thermal power plants and procuring electricity from other utilities, company sources said.
The Hamaoka plant located in the city of Omaezaki accounts for around 11.7 percent of the total electricity supply of Chubu Electric, the service area of which includes the head offices of major Japanese manufacturers such as Toyota Motor Corp. and Suzuki Motor Corp.
It has been projected that suspending the plant will lead to the loss of around 3.6 million kilowatts of the firm's power supply capacity, set at 29.99 million kilowatts for fiscal 2011, according to the utility's power supply plan.
This would enable the company to meet the anticipated peak demand of 25.60 million kilowatts but would only leave remaining supply capacity of around 3 percent -- below the 8 to 10 percent deemed appropriate.
Power supply without the Hamaoka plant would also be insufficient if demand reaches the record high of 28.21 million kilowatts recorded in August 2008.
At a hastily arranged news conference Friday evening, Kan said all operations at the Hamaoka plant must be suspended due to concern that a powerful earthquake could hit the area and trigger another serious nuclear accident in addition to the ongoing crisis at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima Daiichi plant in Fukushima Prefecture.
Kan referred to the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry's prediction that there is an 87 percent chance of a magnitude-8.0 level quake hitting the Tokai region in central Japan within 30 years.
Located on the Pacific coast 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 in July. The Nos. 1 and 2 reactors have already been put out of operation and the utility is set to decommission them.
Chubu Electric President Akihisa Mizuno responded in a statement late Friday that the utility will ''swiftly consider'' the premier's request. A company official said Saturday morning, ''A business judgment at the highest level is required. It is important that we make a decision swiftly and notify society of it.''
But as Kan has admitted that the request is not legally binding, some people within Chubu Electric remain reluctant to immediately comply with it, the sources said.
In summer, energy demand, chiefly for air conditioning, climbs 800,000 kilowatts for each 1 C rise in temperature, according to the utility.
If it is to meet all of the demand with only thermal power generation, the additional fuel cost would be 700 million yen per day, or about 250 billion yen annually, according to the firm.
Omaezaki Mayor Shigeo Ishihara complained Saturday about Kan's request, telling a press conference, ''It will have a large impact on (local) employment. I wanted him to listen more to local opinions,'' adding that the local assembly is united in seeking enhanced safety steps while keeping the plant running.
The request is not intended to halt the country's entire nuclear program and was made after confirming that it would not damage the economy of the Chubu region in central Japan, Goshi Hosono, one of Kan's aides from the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, said on a TV talk show the same day.
He and Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Banri Kaieda have inspected the plant but ''could not fully dispel concerns'' about a possible accident, Hosono said.
