Japan readies for restartshttps://www.world-nuclear-news.org/RS_Japan_readies_for_restarts_1906131.html
Power companies in Japan now know the regulations they are required to meet in order to restart nuclear reactors idled as a result of the 2011 Fukushima accident. The first units could potentially come back online before the end of this year.
New regulations were announced today and will be in force from 8 July, at which time several utilities are expected to immediately apply for permission to restart a limited number of units. This will include Ohi 3 and 4, which have been operating on special permission due to power demand in the Kansai region. The country's total nuclear fleet counts 50 reactors but utilities are yet to explain their expectations for most.
In order to operate, nuclear companies will have to show their reactor units are prepared for extraordinary external events comparable to the natural disaster on 11 March 2011. They need stronger and higher tsunami walls with waterproofing of key buildings. More cautious earthquake analysis will look further back in time when determining if a fault is active - at least the last 120,000 years but perhaps as far as 400,000 years in cases of uncertainty. Additional countermeasures are then required for accident situations: mobile power generators, secure sources of make-up water and methods to inject water.
The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) said that it could take around six months to process an application, meaning that the first units could potentially come back online before the end of this year.
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