Gov`t to OK TEPCO plan to restart quake-hit nuclear reactor

TOKYO, Feb. 7 Kyodo - The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency has decided to approve Tokyo Electric
Power Co.'s plan to reactivate one of its seven nuclear power reactors at its
plant in Niigata Prefecture, which has been shut down since a devastating
earthquake in July 2007, government sources said Saturday.
The No. 7 reactor at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant of the electricity
utility, known as TEPCO, may restart commercial power generation by summer when
power demand typically peaks if the local authorities of Niigata Prefecture,
the city of Kashiwazaki and Kariwa village give the green light, TEPCO says.
According to TEPCO's plan, the reactor will undergo a trial prior to going into
commercial operation, in which its output is to be raised in phases to its full
capacity and if any glitches develop in the process, the reactor will be shut
down again. The record of the trial operation will be submitted to the
government for appraisal.
While the agency has endorsed TEPCO's plan on the grounds that its safety
precautions are sufficient, some experts dispute that view, arguing that the
reactor is not strong enough to withstand another major quake because the
company has underestimated the physical impact of a possible quake that could
hit its facility again.
All seven reactors at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa were damaged by the 2007 temblor,
which caused fire and water containing a small amount of radioactive material
to leak into the nearby sea. It was concluded that the quake's intensity
exceeded the reactor designers' expectations.
To date, TEPCO has spent a total of some 30 billion yen to improve the quake
resistance of the No. 6 and 7 reactors. The remaining five reactors are still
undergoing inspection.
==Kyodo