Kashiwazaki nuke plant to restart after 2-year suspension for quake

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NIIGATA, Japan, May 7 Kyodo -
Niigata Gov. Hirohiko Izumida expressed his intention Thursday to approve the
resumption of Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant
in the prefecture after a two-year suspension since a major earthquake hit the
area in July 2007.
The approval, announced at a prefectural assembly session, follows approvals by
the city of Kashiwazaki and the village of Kariwa, where the plant is located,
meaning that related local authorities have all given a green light to the
resumption of one of the seven suspended reactors at the world's largest
nuclear power complex.
The No. 7 reactor is expected to be started possibly on Saturday as Tokyo
Electric will start work as soon as municipalities give an official approval to
the operator.
Full operation is likely to start after a trial operation period of about 40 to
50 days, providing a boon for Tokyo Electric striving to pull out of the red.
Tokyo Electric had so far managed to cover its capacity shortage to supply
power by raising the operation rate of its thermal power plants. But the
alternative operation resulted in a cost increase due to soaring crude oil
prices till last summer, forcing the company to book a group net loss of 84.5
billion yen in fiscal 2008 ended March 31 for the second consecutive
money-losing year.
Tokyo Electric President Masataka Shimizu said, ''We want to avert falling into
the red for the third straight year,'' and the imminent resumption of
operations at the No. 7 reactor will serve as a tail wind as it is estimated to
cut fuel costs by 60 billion yen a year.
While Tokyo Electric can currently generate electricity 5.2 percent more than
maximum use of power projected for this summer, the reactor, when put into full
operation, will raise the surplus ratio to an ideal 8 to 10 percent, company
officials said.
In explaining his approval to the Niigata prefectural assembly, Izumida said,
''Measures have been taken with the largest possible earthquake in mind.''
He told reporters after the session that the approval will be retracted if any
problems occur.
But criticism remains as to whether it is appropriate to resume the operation
of a nuclear reactor at an area which could be hit by a major earthquake again.
All seven reactors had been suspended since the earthquake, but repair work on
the No. 7 reactor, a 1.36-million-kilowatt, advanced boiling-water reactor,
finished earlier than others.
After the state allowed Tokyo Electric to resume the nuclear reactor's
operation, the nuclear power plant operator sought approval from local
municipalities.
But repeated fires at the plant have led the governor to delay making a final
decision.
==Kyodo