Chubu Electric to decide Mon. on demolition of 2 nuclear reactors

NAGOYA, Dec. 21 Kyodo - Chubu Electric Power Co. is set to finalize Monday a plan to decommission two
long-suspended reactors at the Hamaoka Nuclear Power Station in Omaezaki,
Shizuoka Prefecture, and to build a new reactor there, sources familiar with
the matter said Sunday.
Chubu Electric plans to file a request with local governments to seek approval
for the demolition of the two reactors and the construction of a new one
following endorsement of the plan at a board meeting Monday, the sources said.
The utility firm has already informed some people concerned at the local
governments of the plan, they said, adding Chubu Electric President Toshio Mita
is likely to explain the plan to local residents later in the day.
Chubu Electric wants to decommission the No.1 and No. 2 light-water reactors at
the plant as the cost of replacing parts and necessary construction to
reinforce their quake resistance is expected to amount to several hundred
billion yen, weighing on the utility's business management, the sources said.
More than 30 years have passed since the two reactors commenced operations. The
No. 1 reactor has been suspended since November 2001 following an accident due
to a ruptured pipe and the No. 2 reactor was halted in February 2004 after a
regular checkup.
The utility firm plans to build a new No. 6 reactor at the power station with a
high generation capacity at a cost of around 400 billion yen, the sources said.
==Kyodo
2008-12-21 20:21:41